Dragon Ball Z: Timeline Zero
by DarkMatter777
Summary: Set in the future world timeline, and based on my previous fic, Dragon Ball Z: a Future Changed. Gohan endures a hard struggle against two menacing cyborgs, also known as Android Seventeen and Eighteen. A long grueling journey awaited him during the intense battles against the two enemies, but will the tale end there?
1. Chapter 1: When Light fades to Darkness

**Hey guys! I'm back. Sorry for the long absence. I got too busy with work to continue any more writing for the longest time, not to mention that I lost motivation for it too due to work and personal reasons, but I've been spending time getting my next story together. Though I finished writing it a long time ago, I was just too lazy to get it typed up. This fic is based on my previous work, Dragon Ball Z: a future changed. If you guys haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do so because this story is heavily based on that one. Well anyways, I'll try to make this short, but this fic takes place in the Mirai Trunks timeline, but don't expect a complete retelling of History of Trunks. I've made a couple of changes during certain events, but this is fan fiction after all :) It took me a while to get this rolling, plus I felt like my quality of writing has suffered a bit, so bear with me. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did :)**

**DM777**

**P.S it's good to be back! :D**

Dragon Ball Z: Timeline Zero

Prologue

For many years, Trunks Briefs experienced a life of destruction, suffering and death. Two killer androids took away everyone and everything he knew before his very eyes. Created by Dr. Gero, these heartless monsters ravished the planet, and all who dared to oppose them faced certain doom. When all hope seemed lost, Trunk's mother, Bulma, along with the greatest minds of earth came together to build a time machine. Trunks, at the age of seventeen ventured back into the past, to bring in a new timeline; a world free from the wicked creations. After he helped carry out the vision of a timeline free from their grasp, Trunks eventually returned to his world, bringing with him newfound strength and courage. Hope of saving his ruined future burned strongly, but that flame of hope became discouraged when he discovered that Cell awoke prematurely. Before he had a chance to act, Cell absorbed both androids, and Trunks feared for the worst. Being the only one left to stand against the perfect android, the fate of the world rested upon his shoulders. Despite the odds standing against him, the lone hero gave the dreaded Cell everything he had and then some, but in the end, the wretched enemy gained the upper hand.

When the half blood warrior almost gave up, somebody else joined the battle. In the nick of time, Vegeta from the past wouldn't allow his only son to fall against the ultimate villain. Together, they finished Gero's horror for good, and Trunks got to witness the compassionate side of his father, something that's an extreme rarity to see from the prideful prince. Thanks to the second time machine, the one that Cell used to go further into the past. Trunks gave it to her so she could learn from it. Managing to repair it, it allowed the prince from the restored timeline to save his only son from impending death.

It's been six months since Cell met his perfect defeat, and the remaining survivors resumed their rebuilding. Restoring order over the chaos, what was once crumbled metropolises finally reached back to the skies.. While many months have come and went, Trunks spent as much of that time as he could to train and prepare to take on any threat that may come against the earth. However, to his surprise, his best friend and master Gohan returned to life, appearing before him. For that moment, he believed he saw a ghost or a memory from his childhood, rendering him speechless at the sight of his only true friend. In the mountains to the far east of West City, the fateful reunion took place between the teacher and the student. The last of the world's greatest fighters finally summed up the courage to speak with the one clad in orange; who wore Goku's symbol of fighting, showing off his father's innocent grin and spirit.

"Gohan… is that really you?" Trunks asked nervously and excited at the same time. This caused the son of Vegeta to power down, where his golden aura slipped away, and his long straight hair turned light purple again, hanging low and touching his broad shoulders.

"Well, that was my name last time I checked." He answered kindly, giving out a light laugh, carelessly scratching his scalp.

"But, the androids… they killed you a long time ago. How did you come back to life?" Trunks still couldn't believe what he was seeing, but he knew there had to have been a reason, and a motive to how he earned the chance to come back to life. "I buried you at the hero's memorial ground." Finally, Trunks started to calm his own nerves.

As for the site that Trunks mentioned, they found a place near Goku's home to make a sacred burial ground for him and his friends. Bulma contributed to the formation of the memorial site, and monuments were built in their names: A place for remembrance of them. Trunks had to bury Gohan there, and it was the toughest and most emotional burden that he ever had to carry on his shoulders. He recalled that day like it happened yesterday, and it was something he could never forget. Yet there he stood, alive and well.

"We lost the dragon balls a long time ago, so there was no way we could bring you or the others back, as much as we wished we could have." Trunks uttered out, almost unable to suppress his emotions.

Then Gohan approached him, placing his hand upon Trunks firm rough, firm shoulder, proving that this was no dream after all.

"Well Trunks, that's a long story, but I'll be glad to explain that to you." He responded softly, ready to share his tale that led to his return. However, the story of Gohan's struggle, from the death of Goku, through the times of his battle with the androids, at last came to light.

Chapter 1: When Light Fades to Darkness

Ever since he was a young boy, Gohan possessed unimaginable hidden power. In fact, his strength surpassed his father's when he was same age as he. Of course, the half saiyan had always saw Goku as the invincible warrior. No evil force could oppose him. Being the first to achieve the legendary Super Saiyan, Goku defeated the intergalactic space pirate dictator, Freeza on planet namek moments before that world became nothing but space dust. Everyone feared for the worst, believing that the planet's destruction took the great hero with it, but the earth's dragon assured everyone that he survived, and that he would return at his own time. Trusting in Goku's judgment, everyone continued to live their lives in peace, patiently waiting to reunite with the warrior of a pure heart. Though they knew not when he would return, the comfort of knowing that he was alive and well gave everyone hope to get though each passing moment. Well, everyone except for Vegeta, who devoured himself in envy of the fact that a "low class soldier" earned the power of legend before he, the prince of all saiyans could. Despite all of this, they all lived in a time of rest.

Meanwhile, days became weeks, and weeks turned into months that passed by, and Gohan continued on with his studies to become a great scholar as the arrogant prince searched in vain for Goku. Spending time in space, seeking out the answers on how to achieve the gift of the legends, he found nothing, so he returned to earth, only to discover even more bad news. With no sign of Goku, Freeza survived, and his father came along for the ride. Joining forces, Lord Freeza and his father, Cold, vowed to wipe out the earth, taking vengeance from the frost demon's loss on namek. Even though Gohan and the others knew they had no chance against them, they were ready to take on the enemies, but in the nick of time, Goku showed up, finishing off the tyrants for good. Thanks to his training on a distant planet, the hero of a pure heart achieved far more power than ever before.

It's been over two years since Goku defeated Freeza and King Cold, and the people of earth lived in another time of peace and rest. Living in a time where they vanquished the worst of the evil for good, everyone went their separate ways. Vegeta, of course spent time alone in brutal training. Piccolo typically stayed in meditation in the distant mountains. While Gohan devoted his life to the study books, he and his dad sneaked in some sparring time with one another. Having to stay in shape, they battled and trained together, though not as often as they wished. They had Chi Chi to blame for that. "Gohan! How many times do I have to tell to get back to the books and stop throwing fists with your dad!" She screamed out like a raging lunatic. How dare they come between her and the vision of an educated genius! "At this rate I'll go bankrupt from the all books and tapes I spent all our money on!" Her enraged babbling happened on a daily basis, but they chose to ignore her, for staying shape was always important.

It was outside, a beautiful peaceful sunny day. Been like that for a while now. The earth was full of life, and Goku, his family and friends cherished the beauty and preciousness of nature. Though she hated it, she allowed Goku and Gohan to train, but only as long as it didn't interfere with the kid's studies. On that afternoon they exchanged blows, back and forth in the distant open planes not far from home. The whole world was their arena. The sky appeared on fire from their growing power, until their bout of sonic booms ended as they both took their landing. Their clothes were torn to shreds as blood and sweat covered them both. Goku took in a deep breath, panting like a wild dog in the heat, and so did Gohan. "Well son, I think that did it for me, I'm so worn out. You're getting tougher and tougher every time we train. Sooner or later I won't be able to keep up with you." Goku kept a gentle smile, but Gohan noticed something different about him.

"But dad, we've only been training for an hour…" Gohan replied, sounding a little bummed out. "I really don't want to work on my homework. Besides, if we go back home now, I'll have to study for that big test in biology." Gohan finally caught his breath back, but he noticed that his dad was still sweating profusely. "Dad, are you okay? I haven't seen you this tired since your fight with Freeza."

Goku pulled himself together, wiping his forehead from the drops of water. "Yeah son, I'm fine! Man you did me a number." He kept a straight face, but Gohan could tell he was hiding something. His strength was slipping away faster than before.

"Are you sure, dad? You look so pale." he stayed concerned, noticing that Goku held on tightly to his chest.

"Trust me son, I'm fine… now let's get back home and get some lunch… I'm starving!" Goku replied in excitement, but deep down inside, he too knew something wasn't right.

'Oh man, what's going on? It feels like my heart is being ripped apart.' Goku said in thought, feeling his energy drain faster by the minute. 'I must have over did it today, but I can't let Gohan think there's something wrong with me... I sure could use a Sensu bean about now.'

Traveling above the woods, Gohan decided to take his father's word. "If you say so dad," Gohan uttered out quietly, flying off into the skies and back to their house deep in the lush green forests.

Unfortunately, Gohan would have every right to feel worried about his dad. At first, he thought that maybe they've been training too hard and it all just caught up with Goku, but in a matter of days, he was bedridden in great pain. A couple of weeks before hand, news broke out of a terrible heart virus, killing hundreds of thousands. With no cure for this mysterious illness, it spread throughout the planet like the plague, killing the young, the innocent, and the old. Not even the most powerful, wealthy, or in good health could survive it. Why nobody else close to Goku caught it had always remained a mystery. Not even Bulma and the greatest minds on mankind could cure it, at least for a long time, and the sensu beans from Koren had no effect on him. All that they could do was watch the great hero's life slowly slip away. For the next few weeks, Goku suffered horrible pain, laying helplessly as his life slowly slipped away. Unfortunately, Gohan, his family and friends stood by, doing all they could to keep him comforted.

"G…Gohan, come close son." Goku whispered out weakly. "I need to ask you something, please."

"Dad, anything for you… what is it?" Gohan replied.

"Promise me that you will protect the earth, and all of its life." Goku at that point could hardly keep his eyes open, nearly lifelessly gazing into his son's eyes.

"But dad, I can't. I'm still not a Super Saiyan… I can't do it alone, I need you!" he cried out, as tears fell from his face, but his dad reached out to him gently, giving out a weak smile.

"You can do it son, I know you can! I've already seen a glimpse of you growing up to become stronger than I am. There will be more evil forces out there, even more terrible than Freeza. Gohan, you can do it. Be strong, for me, for your mother, for everyone." Goku uttered out, as the last of his life began to slip away.

"Dad, I don't know how I can, but I promise… I won't let you down." He kept in his tears, remaining strong for his father's last moment.

"Just believe in yourself… you have always had the power in you. You'll become a Super Saiyan in time, but just remember that it comes in response to a need, not a desire." Then his eyes shut, fighting the grip of death. The final thread of life was about to break.

"Father, don't die! We need you!" Gohan pleaded, and Goku opened his eyes one last time.

"Take care of Chi Chi for me… It's time for me to go, back to other world. I'll be… watching from above. Never forget that… son, you made me so proud too…" but he could say nothing else, and he breathed his last. The cold wind began to howl.

Goku perished.

Everyone surrounded him, weeping in sorrow for the loss of the greatest hero of all the earth. Not even the legendary Super Saiyan could fight off the horrific heart virus. Over a period of three months, this awful disease took out over four million people, including one of the victims, Goku. Nobody knew what caused the virus, let alone knowing whether or not if anyone would have the audacity to create this illness. Some believed that it mutated from something else. For several years, that secret didn't surface, not until another time, in another place. However, that tragedy would only be the beginning of the light slipping into darkness.

Six months after his death, a city on a small island nine miles south of south city suffered a horrific invasion. Two young people, one of a man with dark hair, and a beautiful blonde woman struck that city without warning, setting it ablaze, devouring all the innocent people that lived there. Thousands died in an instant. Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Yamcha, Tien, Chaozu, Krillin, and Yajirobi were the ones to answer that call. Feeling the destruction from all over the world, they followed Goku's example by assembling for battle. Coming face to face against the two new threats, they stood in the ruins where the two young people remained. They appeared lifeless, cold, and emotionless. The Z warriors faced them, confused by their appearance, but Piccolo approached them slowly. "Did you two do this? Who are you?" he angrily demanded.

They didn't appear intimidated, giving them a cold, terrifying stare back at all of them, until they focused on the namekian fighter as their light blue, cold eyes started flashing at him. Then they glanced over at everyone else, giving them all a quick scanning. Glaring with with a small, evil smirk the dark, long haired one uttered out, "Piccolo, a namek..." after further analyzing, he muttered, "according to my data, you're at a medium threat level."

Krillin backed away slowly, terrified of these strange invaders. "I have a bad feeling about this, guys… I think we should get out of here." He said nervously, turning blue in the face, but nobody listened to him. Everyone else stood ready for battle. Sadly, choosing to remain there was the biggest mistake all of them would make.

A few moments later, the young blonde finished her scanning. "Vegeta is also at a medium threat level according to my sensors and log readings. Everyone else is at a low threat. How about we make an example out of them. Tearing these buildings down and killing normal people sure got boring." She said, very monotone, lifeless, wicked, wanting to destroy and kill more.

"I don't know who you two are, but you aren't going to kill anyone else." The namekian warrior said confidently. "We'll stop you from hurting them. You have no clue who you're messing with."

'I hope you're right Piccolo.' Gohan said quietly, remaining by his side. 'Dad, we need you.'

Feeling uneasy, Gohan knew in his gut that without Goku to stand by their side, the odds were against them. Though he couldn't sense their power levels, he saw a glimpse of another battle from the past... one that also ended badly. 'I've never seen them before in my life, but I know their incredibly strong... dad, I hope you're watching over us.'

They laughed menacingly at the heroes who dared to oppose them. "No piccolo, you have no idea who you guys are messing with. You should have listened to your friend Krillin." he showed a menacing smirk, the look of wanting to kill. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Android Seventeen, and that's my twin sister Android Eighteen. We are androids created by Dr. Gero, and we're looking for Goku. Have you seen him?" he asked calmly, about to give them an offer. "If you tell us, we might let you guys live."

"My dad's been dead for six months now, and even if he was alive, we would never tell you!" Gohan stepped in bravely.

"Look sis, the son of Goku. Oh how brave of him." Seventeen mocked the kid.

"So, he's dead huh? That's too bad. I guess our deal is off then. We get to kill you all in his place." Eighteen gave out a laugh.

"We'll be the ones who will kill you. You aren't going to get away with what you did to these people!" Tien said valiantly.

Vegeta became so annoyed by all of the exchanges of words, that he pushed everyone aside to get in the android's faces. "Will you guys just shut up already?! I'm so sick of all this talking. I'll take out the two tin cans myself! Feel the power of the saiyan race!" Shining so bright like the sun, he powered to the fullest of his strength. Blowing everyone else out of the way, the powerful warrior's energy was almost too much for them to bear.

The androids eyes widened for a moment, intrigued by this sudden change of the saiyan prince. They looked at each other and then scanned him for moment. "I can't find any data on this, can you find anything Seventeen?" she asked him.

"No, I can't find any files containing this golden glow." He said blankly.

"It's called a Super Saiyan you clunks of metal! Feel my wrath!" Vegeta positioned himself for battle, going into a fighter stance as everyone else did the same, except for Krillin and Yajorobi, where they hid in the rubble. Meanwhile the arrogant fool known as the prince targeted Seventeen, ready to attack, as the blonde android scanned his power level one more time.

"Seventeen, be careful, his power just grew rapidly when he transformed. He's now a high threat level, so you better be on guard!" that time she sounded more serious.

"Don't worry sis, its nothing that I can't handle. It'll take more than a fighting power of forty million to stop me... you take care of the rest." He said confidently.

"Understood." She replied coldly.

Leading the other pack, Piccolo stood first ahead of everyone else, facing against the evil blonde. "Alright guys, let's power up, I can't sense their power levels, but we can't underestimate them!" Piccolo ordered them, thus beginning the fight…

The last battle that all but one got to experience…

Vegeta charged forward, throwing a golden fist into the young male android's face, throwing him into the rubble. Leaping into the air, the enraged saiyan prince stretched out his arms sending golden blasts to consume the android. Sensing nothing, Vegeta grinned in celebration, but his thought of victory ended quickly when he saw the android, completely unharmed took a speeding leap to face him.

"Thanks for the massage, I needed that." He snickered, cracking his head one way and then another. "Now it's my turn."

"Oh shut up you fool!" he dashed at the android, throwing a raging fist after another, but nothing could touch him. Swiftly, the artificial human evaded him with no trouble whatsoever. It only took a matter of seconds before Android Seventeen gave him an uppercut in the gut, only to vanish and return to the naked eye above him, throwing a double handed slam over Vegeta's head where he fell helplessly into the rubble.

Struggling, he tried to escape the crater that swallowed him whole, but he had lost the energy to take his stand. "Gah! No! The Saiyan legend, buried in the mud already… I can't believe it." he choked out globs of blood, his vision blurring against the figure above him, nearly over shadowed by the growing fog of smoke and dust.

The artificial human hovered above him, grinning with a sinister look. "Don't worry prince, it will all be over soon." Then he extended his arm towards the fallen Super Saiyan. "Say hello to Goku for me! Hahahahahahaha!" He shot the final blast from his hand, sending a vicious Ki blast on a collision course for Vegeta.

"Nooooooooo!" Vegeta screamed helplessly, as he was engulfed in flames and in a dome of destruction.

Everyone else looked back in panic. "No, Vegeta!" they saw nothing but a battered corpse of what was left of the almighty Prince.

In anger, everyone charged against android Eighteen, and she brought every one of them to their knees in seconds. After he finished off the cocky fighter, seventeen joined in the battle, and that only added more trouble to their odds of winning. Their power was unreal, and nobody could touch them. Tien, Chaozu, and Yamcha were the first to suffer defeat, all from one blow. A fist through their chests ended that one quickly. Trying their best to stop them, Gohan and Piccolo were the last to stand against them. Anger fueled them relentlessly. "No, those were my friends you just killed!" Gohan cried out in rage.

"Don't be angry kid. be glad, because you will see them again in just a moment." Hearing a sound in the distance, both cyborgs looked to their right, noticing movement in a pile of ruined buildings not far away.

"Heh, we got a couple of rats hiding somewhere. I'll deal with them. We don't need any stragglers." She sent forth a ki blast, and an explosion of searing fire carried the sound of Krillin and the fat sensu bean bearing fighter crying to their deaths.

"No, Krillin, Yajirobi!" Gohan and Piccolo cried out helplessly, knowing they couldn't save the last two Z fighters who hid in fear.

"You two are so predictable. Let's finish these two off sis." Android Seventeen wanted to finish the job.

"Gladly…" eighteen replied menacingly.

Piccolo and Gohan tried their best to hold their own against their might, but it was for nothing. Quickly, they were overwhelmed by their limitless power. Within a matter of a couple of blows, the teacher and pupil were savagely thrown into the wind and into the ground below. Managing to take another stand, Gohan used every ounce of his strength to get back on his feet. With his power drained completely, all he could do was stare the two killing machines down as Piccolo lost the power to fight with him. With the namek unable to move, the androids surrounded him, mercilessly preparing to finish him off.

"No, Piccolo!" Gohan screamed out in panic, seeing his battered friend laying defenselessly as the two menaces slowly approached him, with their arms aiming straight for him.

"Gohan, run, get out of here. It's all up to you now! Only you can stop the androids! AHHHH!" Ki blasts devoured Piccolo, killing him in an instant, and with him gone, the dragon balls died with him along with Kami. That was when that terrible feeling from the past transformed into a vision. It was as if time froze to him when he witnessed all of his friends die so quickly. Remembering the time when Vegeta and Nappa invaded the earth, where they wiped out everyone but Krillin like they were nothing. Again, Gohan took hold of that burden once again, letting it sink deeply into his soul.

'I let them die again... if dad was here, he would have stopped him, but it was because of that heart virus. It killed him, and now they killed my friends... Krillin, Yamcha, tien, Chaozu, Yajirobi.' Recalling his teacher and true friend dying from the saiyan's hands, he watched it happen again, but unlike that time, Goku, won't be answering the call to save the day.

'Piccolo, this is all my fault,' his heart sank so deeply, having no clue that Seventeen and Eighteen were stepping closer and closer to fight him next. 'If I was strong enough, you would have been alive. Everyone would have been alive.'

But then a switch suddenly turned on, the power that all enemies came to fear. Gohan's wrath came to light.

"I won't let you get away with this!" consumed by rage, the last fighter channeled all of his hidden strength, forcing out great winds and lighting impulses in every direction. Violently, it shook the entire island, brushing everything away into the distance. Even the artificial villains braced against it. Seeing the infernal storm of anger in his eyes, they were about to find out how powerful he was first hand.

"What's this? His power just rose tenfold..." Seventeen guarded himself, as he glanced over to his twin sister.

"I don't know but all of this dirt is ruining my hair, ugh!" she grumbled in disgust, keeping her defensive stance, only to notice something different about the lone hero of strength.

"He's glowing yellow, just like Vegeta!" she yelled out.

"But his hair is still black. It's just a glowing aura around him." Seventeen replied.

"So we got another Super Saiyan on our hands huh?" she asked, showing a little concern.

"Not too sure, but we don't need to wait and find out, let's kill him now before he becomes one of those." Seventeen stated.

Reaching into a state of a Semi Super Saiyan, Gohan entered into a pinnacle of his strength that only surfaced in a time of need. Unlike the Full transformation, this form can only be maintained for a short amount of time. It's an instinctive reaction that only certain saiyans can reach in times of serious danger. (Goku also used that form when he battled against Lord Slug, Remember?)

Scanning his vastly growing power, they showed panic and surprise when his level appeared in their cybernetic eyes.

"You killed my friends... you killed Piccolo!" Gohan shouted angrily at them, keeping his firm golden glow, walking steadily towards them.

"Seventeen, his power level is over fifty million! He's at a high threat, we gotta be careful!" the blonde insisted.

"Obviously..." the black haired one responded, unable to say anything else since Gohan suddenly Vanished, then returning with a savage blow to his gut. Gagging out blood, the cyber human flung back at light speed into a ruined set of buildings.

"Why you!" she yelled at him, charging at him aggressively only to miss a swing and receive countless, powerful punches to the face and the midsection. For the first time, she felt pain. Unable to dodge Gohan's blows, she earned a powerful kick up her chin, hurling her like a rag doll into the skies. As soon as she regained her bearings, Seventeen found a way out of the ground, as it's maw opened wide for his escape, but by the time they reunited, the raging Gohan flew above them with both palms stretched out. He used Piccolo's signature move.

"Masenko Hannnn!" he cried out, sending forth a monstrous wave, devouring both of them in an instant.

"GAHHHHH!" they were caught in the mighty energy wave, that threw them into the wind, straight into another island that became totally engulfed by the rising dome of light and fire. Moments later, the storm finally cleared away, and the startled androids wiped off the blood, sweat and dirt from their heads. Finding a way to endure the attack, they were still puzzled by his sudden surge in power. Returning to the first island they wiped out, they desperately searched for the one remaining threat, but he was nowhere in sight. Gohan used that moment to make his escape.

"Shouldn't we go look for him, Seventeen?" she asked him, wanting to finish off the last threat.

Seventeen pondered for a moment, giving out a quick shrug only to respond with, "Nah, we'll leave him alone. We need someone to play with since we just killed the earth's strongest warriors. Besides, He'll come looking for us sooner or later."

"You're always wanting a challenge…" feeling annoyed, she rolled her eyes at him.

"I don't think he'll reach our level in strength, and even if he does, we'll put an end to him before he becomes too difficult. It's a good thing Gero gave us infinite energy restoring units in our bodies." Seventeen snickered out, facing into the sea, itching for another city to destroy.

"It's the least he could do after keeping us locked up in his lab for who knows how long." She replied, relieved that they killed their creator. "We took care of him pretty quickly."

"Serves him right after what he did to us. So, how about we find another city to destroy for the time being?" Seventeen asked, changing the subject since he'd prefer not to think about the good ole times in the mad doctor's lab.

"Sounds good to me, let's have some fun. We run this world now after all." She laughed, becoming consumed with the desire to kill everything she sees.

And without hesitation, Seventeen said, "Let's go." And they were off, traveling at almost light speed to the next unsuspecting victim.

One by one, everyone but Gohan suffered a horrible death against the two killer cyborgs. With nobody to protect the earth, the light had faded into darkness. No one was safe. That small island was one but many towns that would crumble into ruins. Without Dr. Gero to control them, they started their plague and onslaught against the planet, leaving everyone at their mercy. As for Gohan, he disappeared for awhile, tormented by the guilt of losing his friends. All he could do was wonder what could have been done to prevent their defeat. Over the next several years, Gohan put his studies aside, and he trained to the fullest of his limit. Filled with determination. he kept going, longing to avenge the death of his friends. Would he find the strength he needed to take on the ruthless killers? find out next time, on Dragon Ball Z.


	2. Chapter 2: Hope Remains

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait... I appreciate the support and the kind words. I've just been so lazy lately that I haven't gotten around to polishing this chapter up. I'll make sure to get the next one up sooner than later xD I don't have a whole lot to say other than Gohan is growing up in a time of darkness, and things are going downhill for a while. Well, I'll end it here, I hope you all enjoy. I knocked out all the typos and errors I could see, but I intend to check back from time to time to make sure :) **

**DM777**

_**Notice: The following events take place during the Future Trunks timeline. While the main plot is basically the same, some events have changed from the History of Trunks storyline. Also... this chapter contains some scenes of destruction and death... **_

_**Reader Discretion is Advised. **_

Dragon Ball Z: Timeline Zero

Chapter 2: Hope Remains

Seven years later…

Gohan, now Seventeen years old, never forgot the loss of the earth's greatest forces. His determination was all that kept him going since the fate of the world laid in his hands. Over the next seven years, the thriving planet became a wasteland of near extinction. Nobody was safe from their wrath, and the two killer androids left behind a path of pure destruction and despair. Billions died by their evil grip, and most of them fell victim to their vicious onslaught, but others suffered torture and torment from their evil intentions. The world became their playground, and everyone cried out for their savior, but anyone who tried to stop them suffered horrible fates. They couldn't be touched. However, someone deep in the mountains far away from the big cities devoted his life, time, and patience to become strong enough to stand against the two monsters.

During the times of their destruction, Bulma managed to remain in hiding, spending all the time she could to learn about Dr. Gero. After a long time of investigating and researching, what was the left of the Capsule Corporation staff traced Gero back to the days of the Red Ribbon Army. While Commander Red stood as the muscle and the leader behind the once tyrannical force, the one that Goku destroyed as a child, Gero was the mind behind the whole ordeal. Not only was the mad doctor enraged by his major loss, but the death of the co-founder and partner, Red set him off to the extreme. He spent such a long time in exile, secretly coming up with ways to take vengeance upon Goku for his actions. Creating several small insect drones, they watched him, and his friends over the many years; monitoring, observing, keeping tabs on every second of their lives. The flying devices tracked and calculated their energy levels into a super computer. Nobody had any clue that the ghost of the Red Ribbon army planned for vengeance. Five times, the insane genius had to relocate his lab due to the governments keeping close watch on him, so he settled far north into the wintry mountains, where his vision finally came to light. However, the two machines of terror betrayed him, killing him without remorse and leaving his lab buried into the mountains. Never was the secret base found, but Bulma and her team successfully captured three of the flying drones, and that was how they discovered all of the information they needed to know after a painstaking effort of hacking into their recording systems.

Despite putting his mother's dreams of becoming a great scholar aside, Gohan chose to stay with Chi Chi in the deep country lands. Nobody knew when the Androids would surface again, and he didn't want to risk leaving his mother defenseless. Thankfully, they were too caught up demolishing the more populated areas to pay them a visit, but he didn't want to take any chances. Since Goku wasn't there for them to hunt down, they felt that there was no need to search his family anyways. Meanwhile, it was a warm evening, and the young adult half saiyan stood in his dim lit room, with the beam of the late sun from the west illuminating the wooden floors, and upon the lone fighter who proudly wore the orange gi. Carrying on his father's legacy, he showed respect by wearing Goku's colors, to never forget what he stood for. Once he was ready, he proceeded into the living room to see his mother one more time, filled with confidence that he might have a chance against them. Chi Chi still kept a similar appearance, but the times of aging have given her a couple of grey strands of hair. During these times, she learned to let go of her strict, over protective ways regarding his education. She respected Gohan, wanting him to train to the fullest, and as each day went by, Goku's spirit burned stronger in him.

Knowing how far along he had made, she still expressed total fear that her one and only son still had a ways to go before he tried to take on the greatest horror of the world. All she had left was him, and her heart couldn't take the only part of her left if she lost him.

"Gohan, are you sure that you want to do this?" she asked him, worried, clumsily following him to the front door and into the outside world. "You still haven't been able to become a super saiyan, and Vegeta was one when they killed him."

The tall, young, and built fighter turned to face her, uttering out calmly, "I know mom, but I think fifty times Kiao-can can get job done…" He paused, only to look up at the thick blue sky, watching the golden beam of the sun into the west over the distant mountains. "I'm sorry mom, but I just can't sit here and do nothing about it. They've taken billions of lives already, and dad would still try no matter how powerful or dangerous they are." Gohan moved his gaze back to his dear mother, who held her hand closely to her heart, trying not to shed any more tears or grief.

"I… understand, but please don't get yourself killed. You narrowly escaped them seven years ago." She dropped more tears from her thick, fatigued eyes. "I've lost Goku, and my dear father, who just couldn't take the sorrow anymore… you're all I have left."

After she shared her feelings, another tear drop plummeted, splashing against the trimmed grass below, but the son of Goku remained calm, relaxed, grinning innocently. "Don't worry mom, I'll come back, I promise. At least dad taught me the Kiao-can before he left us." Months before Goku suffered the heart illness; he was able to teach him the power of King Kai's special technique. So before Gohan took off, he wanted to tell her one last thing. "Bye mom, I love you." He kindly waved goodbye to her.

"I love you too son, be careful, please." She wept as her only son took off into the skies.

Before Gohan made his pursuit for the violent cyborgs, there was one place that he needed to pay a visit to real quick, and it was somewhere just around the corner from his home. taking a quick leap, he rushed over to an open field. Taking a landing, he was surrounded by the thick lushness of the forests, gazing towards the statues carved from stone standing tall over where they buried the fallen heroes. '_I know I come down here all the time, but I wanted to see everyone one more time, in case I don't make it back._' He carefully looked at Goku's statue, seeing what was engraved below. Kneeling down to read the following words, it showed...

**"Here rests Goku. Though from a world far away, he was the greatest man who ever lived. Filled with kindness, compassion, and love, he protected those who longed for peace, but when enemies opposed him, they feared his wrath, raw and merciless. Never forgotten by his family and friends; his heroic legacy will live forever."**

After reading that, he stood firm facing the sculpted monument, seeing that smile from his father. "I hope you're up there watching dad. I'm going to make you proud. Same goes for every one of you guys." He said out loud, taking a glance at the other monuments to his left, the ones of Piccolo, Vegeta, Krillin, Yamcha, tien, Chaozu, and last but not least, Yajirobi, and his grandpa, formerly known as the Ox King. Lined up evenly in that order, they lied buried in hope of being avenged. Their legacy longed for the day when destruction ruled over them no longer. "Well, there's no more time to waste. I must go now." He sighed, knowing what was up ahead.

Powering into his chi, a shining light enshrouded him, leaping into the sun setting heavens above, seeing the red haze of smoke far into the horizon. Unable to sense the cyborgs, he kept his ears open for the rumbles of thunder they produced when they preyed on another city. "They must be hundreds of miles away, better be quick or I'll lose them." He made haste, in pursuit of the building smoke up ahead. Flying as fast as he could, he broke the sound barrier and beyond, hitting seven times the speed of sound on a course where he believed he'd might locate the devils. Though it didn't take long, Gohan arrived at what was once a heavily populated city. As he made it, Gohan noticed the uprising clouds over the crumbled foundations. Underneath the dark, thickened smoke of the seared city, he saw active fires cooking what was left of the city of silence. Judging from what he had just observed, they made their assault not too long ago.

_'Man… how could they. What did these people do to deserve this? If only there was a way to bring them back.'_ His heart grew heavier than ever before. His anger and frustration started to build up inside of him. It was as if he could hear their cries, and feel their pain. '_I need to keep my cool, the last thing I want to do is draw their attention if they're still nearby.'_

After carefully watching the city from above, he decided to descend carefully, and quietly land on one of the main roads in the downtown area. All that remained was ravished businesses, neighborhoods, markets, and other buildings. Many of the roads turned into cracked pits, virtually inaccessible if somebody wanted to drive through town. Treading cautiously, he roamed through the ruined streets, seeking out any signs of life, but to no avail, there were only people, countless in number, slaughtered without remorse throughout the town. Some were hunching out of their charred, ruined cars and trucks. Seeing this sank deeply into his soul.

_'This is so terrible. I'm sure many of them were only trying to evacuate too. They didn't have a chance at all._' He pondered to himself, feeling sympathy towards all of them. Gohan couldn't even count how many bullet casings that remained scattered throughout the streets. The aroma of gun powder radiated everywhere. Many of those who fell were police officers and armed citizens, some still clinging to their hand guns and assault rifles. He even saw that quite a handful of weapons had some impressive modifications to them, but despite the suppressors and lock on sites, no bullet could penetrate the androids super bodies. All of these people tried in vain to stop their wrath. It was obvious that they fought valiantly, despite the fact that they had no chance against them. He approached some of them, checking to see if by some miracle that at least some of them managed to live.

'_They haven't been dead for very long, so that means the androids have attacked this town recently, just as I thought._' Though on the outside, he looked calm, on the inside he felt the rage and anger that could explode at any time._ 'Calm down me, I have to stay alert. They could still be in hiding somewhere, but it's strange.'_ He looked back upwards, scanning one end of town to the next. _'If they were still here, you'd think they would've ambushed me by now. Perhaps they've moved on already, but I need to stay on guard. It's bad enough I can't sense their power levels.'_

He kept his stand, cautiously searching through every nook and cranny of the infernal crater. Slowly, he walked through the street of downtown, seeing the countless numbers of the dead, none that he could have saved. Every one of them that he looked at shared a story, seeing and feeling their last moments. It was as if their blood was on his hands. He gazed into the distance, but it was all the same as far as the eye could see. Clouds of smoke, fire, and ash that he saw and smelled in the air no matter where he went.

He kept roaming, and as far as his eyes could see, everyone, men, women, and children weren't spared from them. _'They don't even discriminate. Just heartless machines that feed on taking the life of others… I almost can't stomach this.'_

He started to tense up, almost unable to contain the years of rage that was kept bottled up inside of him._ 'I'll make them pay for this!_' he uttered in thought, losing the will to suppress his feelings. Within the carnage, some of the people appeared so scorched in flames, that he couldn't tell what they looked like. When he finally came close to the end of the road, he noticed that a broken, flipped over eighteen wheeler was in his way. The destroyed truck blocked off what was left of the path ahead. He was going to leap over it until something to the left caught his attention. There was a ruined shopping mall over there, and he quickly leaped over there to investigate it. A part of him felt that perhaps someone was still alive over there, in dire need of his help. Taking a few steps towards the remnants of the entrance, he felt and heard cracking, and shattering of the glass under his feet. It was all that was left of the entry and exit doors to the ruins. Before he entered, he looked over next to the entrance. Gasping suddenly, he saw whom looked like a woman, young, in her mid-twenties, laying lifeless as she held on tightly to her young son, who looked like he was merely five or six years old. Close to his hands were a couple of action figures. One was that of Hercule himself. _'I'm sorry for your loss kid.'_ He knelt down to see him, _'They will pay for you and your mother's death, I promise.'_ He uttered calmly, placing his hand on his wounded forehead, just to feel a faint jolt of energy from him. _'Huh? What was that? He's still alive.'_ it surprised him, especially after what had just happened.

Jerking for a moment, the child's weak eyes opened up, as Gohan carefully grabbed ahold of him. "Wake up kid! Everything is gonna be okay just don't die on me, please!" he pleaded desperately for his life.

His weak eyes opened so slowly, gazing into Gohan's eyes, showing him a gentle smile. "Are you… an angel?" he asked quietly.

"An angel?" he showed a confused look. "I'm no angel kid, but I wish I was."

"But mommy said that angels shine as bright as the sun. You are so warm, so gentle, so bright." He uttered out to him.

He chose to ignore what he said for a moment, "did the androids do this?"

"I saw one… she hurt everyone… and then flew away. Is mommy okay?" he asked him.

He paused for a moment. "Yes… your mom is okay, everyone will be okay." _'He must be talking about Android Eighteen... have they split up?'_

"You're an angel, everything will be okay as long as you say so..." he began to hack and cough horribly, gasping for what little air he could breathe in. "Are... you going to stop the bad guys, mister angel?" he showed a look of peace and comfort.

"Yes… I will stop them, I promise you." He replied calmly.

"I'm so sleepy… I can't stay awake." He grew weaker by the second. Gohan felt his life slipping away in his arms. Knowing what would happen next, he knew the best thing to do was to give him comfort and assurance.

"Go back to sleep kid, I'll take care of them, and when you wake up, everything will be back to normal." He calmly told him.

"I... trust..." was all young child could say, as the last hero saw the child fall asleep in his arms, never to wake up again.

"That's it, just rest kid, I promise you that your loss will not be in vain. That goes for everyone else who died by their hands." Placing him back in his mother's arms, it only hurt Gohan even more than before.

"They take the lives of children, their parents, everyone who wants to live in peace. They don't deserve this. I won't let those monsters get away with this." There he stood, in the heart of another city that he couldn't save. Keeping his eyes shut tightly, the mindless rampage of the innocence drove him into an emotional breakdown beyond what any man could bear on his own._ 'I can't let this go on any longer. I have to stop them._'

His muscles bulged, jerking a bit as his power grew rapidly. Then a flash of golden light appeared out of nowhere, overtaking the half saiyan in an instant. Shining like the sun over the heavens, a glowing aura briefly flowed through him, as his hair turned bright yellow, at least until he snapped out of it.

"Where are they? I'm sick of waiting!" he shouted out loud. Then "BOOM!" echoed a couple of blocks away from him. He nearly turned a one-eighty, just to see a cloud of more smoke and fire rise into the darkening skies. _'They must still be here, but I better get a closer look to make sure so I should stick to the shadows. I think a surprise attack will work in my favor.'_ Suppressing his power level, he kept close to the alley down another road. Using the ruins as cover, he came closer to where the recent bang occurred at. Poking his face out of the corner, he noticed someone else standing over the carnage; a young, slender, blonde haired, and rather attractive woman blasted down another five story business with her hands. Her, bright yellow hair nearly covered her face, wearing the same black and white top with a blue vest, along with her slightly torn faded skirt and black tight pants. It seemed that androids didn't need baths, nor did they need a change of outfits either.

_'That's Eighteen if I remember correctly, but how come I don't see the other guy_?' he kept his ears open, eavesdropping on her angry screaming while she kicked a piece of shattered pavement across the street, flying faster than speeding bullet straight into what she just blew up.

"Ugh, that jerk… Seventeen has gotten on my nerves for the last time! Screw him. I never want to see his face again. I swear, every time I meet a really cute guy and tell my brother 'NOT' to kill him, what does he do?" She went quiet for a second, taking another stone, squeezing it so tightly that not even the most durable stress balls could sustain her grip. Fire burned in her eyes, as she got ready to throw it with all of her might. "He kills them anyway! Ugh, boys, they just don't get it." As she scoffed that out, she sent the rock towards the window, shattering the glass as more shards fell to the ground. Remaining concealed in that corner, Gohan sighed, taking a deep breath in and then out.

'_Man, what got her all worked up? For an android, she complains a lot like the other girls out there.'_ Giving in another deep sigh, he knew what he had to do next, and boy was he dreading it. _'Time to confront her because I know I can do this._' He prepared himself. _'If he ditched her over something so stupid then maybe I have a chance of defeating her after all. Well... here goes nothing.' _He left his hiding spot, but the young lady had her back turned away. She was obviously too wrapped up in her personal problems to realize that the only living hero was about to challenge her.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here?" Gohan yelled at her, angered by what she had done.

She quickly turned around, becoming even more annoyed by somebody rudely interrupting her alone time.

"What the hell do you want punk? I'm already pissed so back off before I add you to this city's death toll!" She barked at Gohan, too blinded in frustration to see that another Z fighter was about to fight her.

"I'm going to stop you, that's what!" Gohan summed up the guts to call her out, venting his anger as he set himself ablaze in his Kiao-can. "I'll make you pay for all the suffering you've caused in my world!"

Her mood shifted from aggravation to amusement when it became obvious to whom the blazing warrior was. "Oh yeah, I remember you now. You're that kid, Goku's son." She formed a maniacal smirk, tensing her fist firmly. "You've turned into quite a cutey, but it sucks that I'm going to have to kill you, so don't take it personal okay?" She kept her mocking grin and winked at him.

"You don't have to do this… Gero may have created you guys, but that doesn't mean you have to obey him and hurt everyone!" Gohan tried to reason with her, but it was a time waster. she was in no mood to even listen to him.

"Hah! Who said I'm doing this to carry out Dr. Gero's orders? Maybe I just enjoy the suffering and death of others." She said that so wickedly, like a demon wanting to torment the helpless. Mocking him again, she readied herself for battle. "Killing you will satisfy me. I'm more of a match for you, even without Seventeen here to help me."

Gohan posed firmly in his stance of fighting, still in his ruby glow saying, "Then you leave me no choice. This is for killing of my friends! Kiao-can, times fifty!"

Exploding in rage, his blood red aura accelerated drastically. Refusing to hold anything back, the lone hero dashed forward, taking on the offensive as he kept his aim against the android, and boy, was the son of Goku in for a challenge. Would Gohan find the power to eliminate Android Eighteen, or would he too fall victim by her nearly invincible power? Find out on the next exciting chapter of Dragon Ball Z!


	3. Chapter 3: The Pain of Loss

**Alright guys, thank you so much for the support! Had some extra time this weekend to get this chapter working! It's the moment that you've been waiting for, Gohan finally getting his shot and at fighting the android. I thought that having the androids get mad and split up a while would add more dimensions to this story. While Android Seventeen doesn't show up, I still believe that Eighteen is more than enough for Gohan. I also think that Gohan transformed later in his life than when he was just a kid, I know that's been a debate with many people for awhile now. Well, anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! It's been fun being able to go back into writing! Got any ideas or suggestions, good or bad, feel free to let me know anytime. :)**

**DM777**

**Notice: The following events take place during the Mirai Trunks timeline. While the main plot is generally the same as the History of Trunks storyline, certain events may have changed a bit. Also, I don't own the rights to Dragon ball, Dragon ball Z, and GT. As much as I wish I did, but all rights belong to Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation, and Shonen Jump. Toriyama, if you ever read this, thank you for creating the greatest franchise ever made! You have inspired me my friend.**

Dragon Ball Z: Timeline Zero

Chapter 3: The Pain of Loss

Last time on Dragon ball Z, Gohan made the decision to take a stand against the diabolical cyborgs whom have turned their backs on their evil master. For the past seven years, everyone fell subject to their wrath and destruction. Nobody knew when or where they would surface next. No one could stop them. Training nonstop in the shadows, the last remaining survivor of the earth's Special Forces believed that it was time to put his training to the test. Determined to bring an end to their gripping wrath, the only fighter left arrived at the city that was recently destroyed by their hands. He saw firsthand their disregard for life, and the innocent people in which they senselessly killed. This city was one of many. After carefully searching throughout the town, not only did he witness the carnage, but the defenseless people who died in vain. During his search for the menaces, he discovered a young boy, the only survivor who was clinging to life by the skin of his teeth, but there was nothing he could have done to save him. As the heart broken hero held that child in his arms, he breathed his last, and another crack formed in the bottle that contained Gohan's inner anger. Eventually, he came face to face with Android Eighteen. Though she was alone, Gohan was going to find out how powerful she really was, the hard way.

Beginning the battle, Gohan hurled himself like a fireball towards the blonde android, swinging fist after fist against her, but she held her own by blocking off every blow, yet she stilled found herself impressed by his strength. The lack of a challenge over the years had caught her off guard. At the alley, they continued to exchange blows back and forth, causing the rubble to rise and crumble from the impact. Then Eighteen retreated upwards, but the blazing saiyan warrior made his pursuit after her.

"Oh no you don't… you aren't getting away from me!" The human fireball screamed at her, where they resumed their battle midair at the other side of what was left of the city. Echoing throughout the scenery, their punches were so powerful that it could have leveled the strongest of mountains, creating domes of light followed by the sonic booms lit up the night sky. For a few moments, they fought, but after she blocked off a devastating spinning kick, they backed away from one another, staring each other down. Like a game of chess, they played mind games, wondering who would have made the next move.

"Not bad, boy. I haven't had this much fun in a while. You're almost as strong as you were when you managed to get away from us…" she insulted him, keeping her cool. "That was just a warmup; I hope you were doing the same. If not, you're in a pickle already."

"I'm not here to have fun. Now take this!" Gohan became provoked, allowing her words to get under his skin. As he shouted, he viciously slammed a powerful punch to her face, knocking her deep into the ruins about a block away. Before she made her escape, the powerhouse placed both of his palms near his forehead. Focusing his chi, a yellow ball of energy formed together in his tensed palms, screaming out, "Masenko Haaaaannnn!" He sent the massive ki blast towards his fallen prey, wiping out nearly half of the city, leaving behind a giant crater of brown dirt and ash.

Resting from his Kiao-Can, he tried desperately to recover, drained from his special technique taught by none other than Piccolo. Feeling his sweat pour profusely down his dirty face, the only thing that gave him comfort was the possibility that he finally defeated one of the wicked beings of cybernetics. "Hah! Man that was easy!" Gohan confidently uttered in his mind, but he knew better than to think that the game was over. He started having second thoughts about his declared victory. _'In fact, that was a little too easy. Now I need to hurry up and find Seventeen.'_

While he tried to stay focused, his pondering got interrupted by a feminine laughter echoing from behind him. It turned out that his victory was cut short after all. "Is that the best you can do? That attack broke a couple of my finger nails. Now you've really made me angry." She "Angrily" snickered, edging closer to him while in midair. Having to make it quick, he charged at her at light speed, throwing a swing as fast as his body allowed him too, but she swiftly evaded, sneaking behind to give him a firm headlock. While he tried with all of his might to break loose, she only tightened her squeeze against his throat. All that Gohan managed to do was leave himself open for her to choke the life out of him. Squirming and swinging desperately, he tried to get out of her death grip, but he couldn't, and everything around him started to blur and go dark.

"Let me tell you, getting thrown into buildings and then getting blasted at doesn't feel good at all punk! So let's see how you like it!" She yelled out, charging on a downward spiral with Gohan going face first into the dirt.

"BOOM!" the ground gave way, caving in as the blonde fighter dashed upwards. Enraged, the half-blood fighter erupted from below, quickly leaping towards the Android. When he went after her, she kept her arms folded close, grinning maliciously as she could see the angry look in his eyes.

"So now it's time I get serious with you." She met him halfway in the middle of the air.

"What the…" Gohan, again caught himself off guard, as he took another agonizing speed punch on the left side of his jaw, which sent him into another pile of destruction.

"Hahahahaha! You know, when I bury the dead, they're supposed to stay buried, but you're very persistent. It's starting to bug me." She laughed at him so menacingly.

Regaining his balance, he blasted out of another grave, trying his offensive yet again, but she easily dodged every blow, savagely kicking him straight up, launching him like a missile in the sky, but she caught up to him again, digging a knee deep into his midsection. The pain was unbearable for him, and even in fifty times Kaio-Can, he was incapable of fighting her off. He kept swinging countless punches at light speed, but she avoided every attack, despite the fact that he moved faster than lighting. Trying to retreat, Gohan needed a chance to regroup and rest for a moment, but she wouldn't allow him to leave her sight, delivering a double handed slam that forced him back down below. Making a rough landing, he managed to get back on his feet, struggling to keep his stand. He felt the horrible pain on his left cheek, wiping the thick globs of blood that poured out, but he wouldn't realize that the gashing wound from her powerful kick left behind a deep scar. Never did he forget that fight.

'_Darn, this isn't good at all. Has she been toying with me this whole time?' _He asked himself, letting discouragement settle in. _'What power… I can hardly even stand now. I guess I wasn't ready after all. Dad what would you do?' _Everything started to blur in his eyes, seeing two and then four androids, but he summed up what was left of his strength. He had to stay focused. Making another attempt, he fired more energy blasts at her, but nothing fazed her, so he soared towards her again, slamming another tight fist against her pale face, but merely tilted her head and she smirked wickedly. It had no effect on her.

"Hah! You're just as weak as everyone else. If you really valued your life, then you should have stayed inside whatever hole you decided to crawl out of…" She fired her own share of beams at Gohan, all making direct hits from her unlimited energy generator that Gero integrated into her cybernetic and biological embodiment.

"GAHHH!" the lone hero screamed in agony as the waves pummeled him, followed by domes of explosions that overtook what was left of their arena. Once the wind pushed all the smoke and dust away, he was still standing, holding on dearly to what little life he had left. She battered him brutally, tattering and tearing his father's symbol, turning his orange gi into a bunch of scattered rags, bloodstained to the point that his head span in different directions. He's lost almost half of his blood already. He tried all he could to stay focused, but Android Eighteen kept spinning, splitting into two people, as his peripheral sight started to turn black on him. She only stood about 4 yards to his front, not even fatigued in the slightest.

"Hmph, I'll give you props for hanging in there. You've held up a lot longer than your friends did, but just like them, you underestimated my power, and now… It's time for you to join them." She declared her victory against Gohan. "This world is mine." She laughed so wickedly, ready to finish the job. Stumbling, the wounded hero was virtually unable to maintain his balance. It seemed that defeat was inevitable.

'_Darn it, what was I thinking? I should have known better than to try and take on even one of them on my own… Dad, Picollo, everyone… I'm sorry that I've let all of you down.' _Hopelessness took over him as he watched the powerful young gal dash at high speed, charging energy into her right hand.

"Now be a good boy and die!" she screamed as she made her way to finish him off.

But then time just froze, and Gohan delved deeply into his thoughts, remembering his father's death, having to bury everyone who died trying to protect the earth and all of her life that they knew was so precious. _'So, that's it. This is how I'm supposed to end huh? These evil androids killed my friends, my father died in front of me, and there was nothing that I could have done to save him. Nothing! Every time I try to stand up for myself, I get knocked down…' _He remembered the times when he battled Nappa and Vegeta when they invaded earth, and how afraid he was to fight them, and the times on Namek when he allowed his fear to keep him from saving Krillin and stopping the Ginyu Force and Freeza from killing the namekians. In his final moment, his discouragement slowly shifted into anger.

'_I couldn't save anyone when Nappa and Vegeta invaded earth, later on I allowed all the nameks to get killed by Freeza. I was too afraid to stop Freeza when he killed Krillin. It took Dad to stop him, and all I could do was run away. I was so scared when the androids first showed up. It's my fault that I allowed all of my friends to get killed again. If I was strong enough, we would have stopped them. When dad succumbed to that heart virus, it was up to me to defend the world from the enemy, and I've failed miserably! Because all of my life I've chosen to run away. Now the dragon balls are gone, and there's no way that I can bring them back. My weakness is the reason why Piccolo is gone. Krillin, Vegeta, Yamcha, Tien, Chaozu, Yajirobi, I'm sorry.' _

Deep in his mind, he felt his emotions drift away, becoming so distant that he couldn't feel them anymore. Everything turned into a faint memory. _'If my body dies, then there's no one left to stop them… Dad, give me strength, I need your help. I can't give up.' _But then he suddenly heard a voice that sounded so familiar to him.

"Gohan, use the pain of loss." He said, so softly, and gentle, like an echo from his past.

"Dad?" Gohan asked in surprise.

* * *

Eight years ago…

The lone hero awakened, standing in the open fields during the middle of the day, as the sun reached down brightly, seeing his father standing before him. Living out a vision from the past, Gohan looked straight at his father, who was giving him wisdom on how to become the Saiyan Legend.

"Dad, what do you mean the pain of loss?" the young, shaggy scholar and fighter desperately wanted to know. "You keep saying that, but I don't know what you're talking about."

"Son, in order to become a super saiyan, you must use all of your anger, all the times when you've lost your friends, your family, when you've been hurt. You must turn that anger into your energy. It's the only way to become one." Goku explained calmly, as his face kept a firm, serious look.

"But dad, I've tried for months now, I just can't do it. I power up to my full strength. I think about all the times that I've lost everyone on namek and here on earth too. I just can't get it." Gohan replied, grimacing and still discouraged.

"Gohan, remember, you can't achieve this form by powering up, it comes in response to a need, not a desire." The dark spiked haired warrior's lips grinned a little bit. "In due time, you will learn how to transform. It took me a while to control it after I battled Freeza, but I know that someday, there will be a time when we will need another super saiyan, and when that day comes, you'll achieve it. Don't ever give up, my son." He reached out to him, gently digging his calloused fingers into Gohan's bushy, ratty hair. "So, how about we grab some lunch; I'm getting hungry again."

"Sure dad," Gohan replied excitingly, "But you got to promise that you'll keep training me to become a super saiyan like you."

Goku threw out a quick laugh. "Only if Chi Chi says so... you remember what happened last time we've snuck out and trained." They chuckled about it, knowing that the mother of education said no to their training nine times out of time. Heading back to the ole little house in the woods, they longed for a nice big lunch to devour.

* * *

Back to the present

'_Dad, I sure do miss you, but now I understand. I know what I must do. I'll make you proud, and I won't stop, not until my last breath.' _After reliving one of the most vital moments that he spent with his dad, Gohan blacked out, and the hidden, dark rage which he was hiding deep inside his soul since he was a little child unfolded for the android to see. No longer could he contain it.

She took her glowing fist on a collision course towards her only opponent, but right before she made contact, the raging Gohan woke up suddenly, quickly taking grip of her fist, squeezing it tightly. He looked squarely at her light blue eyes, angered as a golden aura consumed his body, and his eyes turned completely white, only to reveal a vague glimpse of them turning green. His hair shifted from black to a shining yellow. In that black out state, Gohan returned to his semi super saiyan form, but he was one step away from fully achieving the legend.

"GAHHHH! What the hell!?" she felt the pain of his strong grip, and though she tried her best, she was unable to break loose from him. She just looked at the warrior blinded in anger, feeling his raw, untethered power from within him.

"This is for all the people that you killed, especially my friends, my family, and everyone else!" He roared out, delivering a brutal head-butt to her skull, launching her like a rocket straight across town, but he leaped forward, dashing towards her like a shooting star. Within a second he caught up to her, plowing a powerful fist that sent her even further into the air. He just looked at how helpless she was, so he flew straight up, grabbing her, savagely pummeling the android like a pinata. Then he ended the show by double hand slamming her upper back, forcing her back into the ground, where its maw consumed her like a meteor crashing from the heavens.

Even though she attempted to fight him again, she was unable to touch Gohan, no matter how hard she tried to fight back. "How did you become so strong? You were dying earlier, so don't tell me that you were holding back on me now!" She panicked, failing to get a single hit on him. When they both took a stand, she stood exhausted, only to recognize the form Gohan took on. A vision from seven years ago struck her mind. "Wait, I remember now. You did this before on that island!" She scanned his power level again. She recalled how strong he was as a child, but for the first time in her life, she experienced total fear when she noticed the reading of his energy according to her sensors. "Eighty… million? Very high Threat level? That's bullcrap! My sensors are broken!" she gritted her teeth in frustration, in denial of what she witnessed. "How could you possibly be that powerful?"

"This is the power of everyone that you have destroyed! I can hear the billions crying out to me, seeking justice for the murders that you have committed! Until you're destroyed, I'll never give up! RAHHHHH!" he screamed out like a roaring lion, and at last, his hair that fluctuated from dark to light finally settled towards the bright yellow glow. His eyes turned green like the grass, and the leaves of the trees. Like the breath of life, he finally transformed; the Saiyan of Legend, reborn.

The inside of the female cyborg's eyes blinked, beeping every alarm imaginable. "What? You can't be serious! Ninety Million! Wait!" she paused for a moment. "That's the form Vegeta took. Is he one of those?" She wouldn't get her answer, not by words anyway. She got a reply from Gohan slamming an extremely concussive blow from his right knuckles to her left cheek, flinging her like an insect. She regained her bearings again, but not for long. She threw punch after punch, but nothing fazed him, and he kept dodging every attack swiftly and smoothly. "DAMMIT!" she grew blinded by anger only to receive another blow. Moving so fast, Gohan threw dozens of punches and a powerful tornado kick that threw her around like a rag doll. After making a rough landing, she noticed that he stood not far from her on the dirt, cupping his hands as he lined them to his right side.

"Kame!" the super saiyan passionately shouted out.

"Ugh! I'm so tired of this! You're done! You hear me!" she blindly charged at him, not seeing that he was prepping for his father's finishing move.

"Hame… Hahhhhhh!" Fully powered, he sent forth a monstrous wave from his open hands that he pushed outward. Making contact, she attempted to hold her own against the wave, and while she managed to contain it, she wouldn't be able to for long.

"Damn you… I can't… stop it! AHHHHHH!" the giant KameHameHa wave drove her away deep into the horizon. For countless miles, she traveled with the massive beam against her will, at least until she saw a rocky cliff behind her. However, that was where she was about to experience the art of… pain.

"Oh Shi…!" then "KABOOOOOOOOMMM!" a massive mushroom cloud overtook the skies so far away, but the lone hero saw it in the distance. Completely exhausted, Gohan fell to his knees, losing that vibrant glow that radiated around him. Finally, his mind returned to reality, though completely sapped of his strength. It seemed that his new power was too much for him.

"Aw man, that was intense… I don't know how I pulled that off, but was I, a Super Saiyan?" he questioned himself, but in due time, he found a way to control that hidden power. What Goku predicted when he was a child finally came to surface. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of his struggle against the androids. "I think it's time that I train some more. I have to find a way to control my transformation. I know that I achieved it… I can feel it in my gut. Dad, I'll make sure to master my new powers. Fighting them as a super saiyan is the only way."

But then, he had another thought. He recalled the young child that Bulma had with Vegeta. At that moment, he was about to turn eight years old. _'Wait, yeah, I almost forgot about Trunks. He might be the one who can stop them. If one super saiyan can do the job, then imagine the androids trying to fight off two super saiyans… speaking of, I'm sure she's still alive out there, and mad as heck too. Bet she's looking for her brother now. But with Trunks by my side, I know we can do this.' _He thought to himself, feeling hopeful of another team player to fight beside him. '_It might take a while, but if we can hang in there, two super saiyans might have what it takes to defeat them, but first… I'll need to get Bulma's approval.' _ The wounded hero took a deep sigh of dread. '_Now that'll be my biggest challenge yet, oh man!' _

Making his decision, he looked at the ruins one last time. "Be patient everyone, I feel your pain, and I'll make sure that your deaths will not go unaccounted for." After paying his respects, he took off into the midnight skies. He was on his way to West City, where his greatest plan went underway. Though it took some time, pleading, and a lot of consideration, Bulma allowed Trunks to train with Gohan, but that was only the start of their journey.

Meanwhile, somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, the young blonde emerged from the wide and deep pit. Anguish and hatred filled her soul, experiencing the bitter taste of defeat, but thanks to the unlimited energy generators in her body, she managed to fully recover from Gohan's powerful attack.

"So, it looks like I'm going to need Seventeen's help after all… Gohan may pose us a threat if we don't do something about it soon. Ugh! The saiyans are so persistent! I hate them! So it's best to nip it in the bud sooner than later." After her moment of ranting to herself, she flew into the air, starting her long search for her twin brother. "It's too bad that I have to kill such a cutey though. Oh well, it'll end up being us or him. Now brother, where the heck did you run off too?" She checked herself, realizing how filthy and ragged out Gero's selected outfit was. "Um, well... first off, I need a new change of clothes, and then I'll find him."

Traveling through the skies, she initiated her search for her dear brother, after she found a new change of clothes of course. As her journey started, Gohan also set his plans into motion. It would take years of training, suffering, and loss in order to make their stand against the artificial humans, next time on Dragon Ball Z: Timeline Zero.


	4. Chapter 4: The Ceasefire

**Well guys and girls, sorry for the wait. I hope you didn't lose too much patience. This chapter took a bit longer than I thought. I know there isn't a lot of action this time, but sometimes I got to slow down the pace a little bit. I know there's a lot of talking between Trunks and Gohan, so I tried my best not to drag it out too long. Thanks again for the support. I tried all that I could to not repeat the same words over and over... one of my biggest issues as a writer. So far, I plan to keep writing. I really like where this story is going, and it's not too late for you guys to send me your input! Please keep the comments going. Tell your friends too. I need all the support I can get. Feel free to leave reviews, whether it's positive or negative I don't mind. I'm always open to listen to constructive criticism. Anything to improve my writing! :)**

**DM777**

Dragon Ball Z: Timeline Zero

Chapter 4: The Ceasefire

Three years later…

Finally turning twenty years old, Gohan decided it was best not to give his birthday much thought, since the next three years involved him and the young Trunks undergoing extreme training. Determined to achieve a new plateau of strength, they spent up to Twenty hours day battling it out sometimes. Not only did they reach new levels in power, but they formed a bond closer than two brothers. As a kid, Gohan never had someone who looked to him the way Trunks did. As they battled, hoping to never cross paths with the two other menaces, they pursued their goal they longed for: To become powerful enough to defeat the androids. While Gohan learned to control his super saiyan transformation, he had to go through the long, grueling process of passing the torch to his student. It was the only way they could stand against them. After the intense confrontation with Android Eighteen three years ago, the son of the legend knew that he had to push his power even further than before. As for the angry blonde cyborg, she pushed her personal grudge against Seventeen aside, regrouping with him soon as she could. As the young heroes prepared for their next fight, the enemy hid deep within the shadows, who waited patiently for the next opportunity to strike. It seemed that an unofficial ceasefire went into effect, but that left the survivors a chance to rebuild their ruins.

A few months have passed after Gohan turned twenty, and the day was still young. The heroic duo spent another bout of fighting near Gohan's home. During their training, they clashed into the skies again. At first, the son of Vegeta struggled to keep up with his mentor in fighting, but like all of those who carry the saiyan blood, it only drove Trunk's fighting spirit to be become ever stronger. The cocky prince's blood surged through his veins. Throwing blows nonstop, they plowed up high until they couldn't keep themselves afloat. Up above, they exchanged their endless amounts of super punches and kicks with incredible impact. Sonic Booms overtook the country lands. After duking it out for about an hour, they landed in the open valley, taking a moment to rest since they panted like two wild dogs in the heat.

"Wow, you just keep getting tougher every day Trunks." He uttered, worn out from another long day of work. "At this rate, you'll be stronger than I am." As he huffed out, he took a sigh, brushing that dirty sweat away from his forehead. Still bearing his father's clothing, Gohan carried on his legacy, while Trunks wore a muddy white tee, and faded blue jeans with quite a few small holes. The kid also kept his light violet hair clean cut, so it wouldn't get in the way during their practicing.

"But I'm still nowhere near as strong as you are." Young Trunks sat down for a moment, feeling like his body weighed a hundred tons. "I try so hard, but I don't think I'll ever keep up with you, especially when you're a super saiyan."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, Trunks." The firmly built Gohan approached him, putting his palm on Trunk's head, almost like a father, son moment for them. He looked down at the kid, showing a childlike grin that always brought out the spirit of Goku every time an old friend saw him. "You're a lot stronger than you think. Plus you'd be tougher than I am if I was your age." _'If I had that kind of strength when I was ten, then maybe everyone would have survived.' _ Despite all the years gone by, regret was the lone hero's biggest burden. While he did his best to hide that side of him from everyone, he would have done anything to save Goku and his friends whom have perished. Each day that he spent living, he knew that he carried the weight of the world. The fate of the earth rested in his hands.

Trunks faced back at him, seeing his empty smile that he tried so diligently to cover up all that troubled him. While he asked him numerous times what bothered him, Gohan always insisted that everything was okay. Even though Gohan never admitted it, Trunks knew exactly what bothered him. Once they were rested, the mentor calmly said, "So, how about a break? We don't need to get too worn down for your birthday tomorrow."

Trunks just laughed lightly, "That's true… not that it makes a difference. Heck, I don't have anybody to celebrate it with." He took in a deep sigh.

"I know things are tough kid, but there's nothing wrong with taking a little time to unwind. My dad always said that resting is important as work." Gohan instructed him, keeping a look of contentment.

"Well, if you say so Gohan. I wish I could be as positive as you." Trunks finally stumbled back to his feet.

Ending their warm up for the day, they headed for the memorial site, the same one that Bulma funded and helped create.

"I hate to say it, but I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. Another birthday watching our backs doesn't sound fun." He sounded depressed.

"You shouldn't look at it that way, but I know what you mean. That's how I feel when my birthday comes around too, but mom wants me to celebrate it regardless, so she and I normally spend the day together anyways. I can tell that it makes her feel better when we do." Gohan replied, explaining about how he felt when it came to his day of birth celebration.

"Yeah, it's just another day for me too, but I know it makes my mom happy, so I still try to act like I have fun with it for her sake." Trunks said back to his best friend.

Though they didn't travel far, they descended from the skies and landed at the memorial site. Together, they gazed at the gray, carved stone statues of memory. It's been a while since Gohan went to visit his old friends and family, so he thought that he'd pay his respects again. Gazing into the statue of Goku, his content, innocent look always brought him hope and encouragement no matter how good, bad, or treacherous his day went. _'I know you're watching over me, dad. I've become a super saiyan. I'm trying my best to become strong like you were.'_ Gohan frowned a little bit; words never described how much he missed him._ 'I wish you were still here. You would've known what to do against those fiends, but I'm fighting in your place.'_ Feeling his father's spirit flow in him, he kept it close to him, but then he looked over to his left, past Vegeta, seeing the statue where Piccolo lied, buried. '_Piccolo, how could I ever forget you? I keep your wisdom close to me. You've given me so much strength, if only I had the power to save you from the androids. I was so young then, but the memories are just a strong.' _Gohan always had a lot on his mind, and not only did he battle the machines, he also had a spiritual battle within himself. No matter what, he always stayed strong, especially when he was around Trunks.

After a few moments, the leader snapped out of it, noticing Trunks staring blankly at another carving from rock and concrete, the one where Vegeta got put six feet under. Wearing that saiyan armor, his serious, prideful, yet stern look faced forward into the horizon, showing no fear whatsoever. He was truly the prince of all saiyans. "Gohan, I don't remember my dad at all. My mom always told me stories about him, and she'd never stop talking about him." The son of the prince's indigo eyes looked over to his teacher. "She told me that he was once the prince of the saiyan race, and that he was so prideful and strong."

"He sure was a cocky one. I won't forget that day when he and my dad fought it out a long time ago." The mentor shared an old tale of the epic battle. "He almost destroyed our planet, but my dad barely managed to defeat him, and honestly, Vegeta never got over that. He held a grudge against him for ages. He tried so hard to outdo dad ever since those days." He solemnly kept his eyes on the carving of the arrogant prince. "They were about to settle the score too until…" Gohan paused, remembering the last moments when the pure heart hero fell victim to the mysterious illness, suffering great pain on that deathbed. Burdening him with sorrow, he almost couldn't stand straight, as eyes turned a little puffy. "That heart virus killed my dad…" he said unhappily, still saddened by his loss.

All Trunks could do was look close at him, and that time, he felt the hurt and anger radiating from him. The boy sensedl that Gohan carried a heavy weight on his shoulders, and no matter how hard they tired, or how much they wanted too, there was nothing they could have done to bring his friends and family back. He suffered more heartache than anyone could possibly endure.

"I always trusted him," Gohan continued on, letting go of all his emotions. "It didn't matter how powerful our foes were. Even if the odds were against us. He was never afraid of them, and he always found a way to overcome them. When my dad faced foes that brought him to the brink of death, he always had a smile on his face, like none of it ever bothered him. When he was with me, I knew that everything would be okay. I had nothing to worry about when he was with us." A tear drop fell from his face, where it lightly splashed against a blade of glass below.

"My mom always talked about Goku too. She said the same thing about him. No wonder my dad got so jealous about him." Trunks uttered, as they shared a quick bout of laughter together. "Heck, I'm jealous that you got to know your father… I wish I could have been able to know my dad. Mother also told me that not once did he say he loved me or her. He had almost nothing to do with anyone. All he did was train to become the strongest warrior in the universe." Trunks sighed, kicking the grass below as he looked down.

"Don't get jealous bud, deep down inside, Vegeta loved Bulma, and I can tell you right now, that he'd be proud of you. He'd be amazed at how much of a great fighter you've become." Gohan assured him kindly, looking down at him with the same grin his father always showed.

"You really think so Gohan?" Trunks asked him.

"I know so," he kept his gentle smile, as the boy gazed back at him, feeling assured, but then he read the kind words engraved on Vegeta's tombstone.

"**Here rests Vegeta: Proud Prince of the great saiyan race, and a warrior who knew no bounds. The Legend of the Super Saiyan will never die."**

"So Gohan, is it true that our dads were super saiyans too?" Trunks glanced back at him, asking his master about the legend.

"They sure were, and let me tell you. Their power was unfathomable. Seeing them transform was like watching a living inferno, and they were the only ones who had complete control over it. Nobody could touch them." Gohan said. "It took me awhile to master it, but now I can transform at will." Then he focused his attention to Piccolo's grave, written below his sculpture uttered the following words,

"**Here Piccolo rests: A great warrior, teacher, and true friend. To those who knew him well, they shall never forget him. Also from a world far away, once consumed by evil, but the love of a child changed his heart forever. He was a namekian that his ancestors would have been proud of." **

After reading it, Gohan's pondering got interrupted by his pupil in training. He knew that he had a lot of work to do with him. As Goku and Piccolo shared their knowledge with him, he passed it down to Trunks.

"So, those androids… are they really that strong?" the kid asked, showing more curiosity about them.

"They're more powerful than you can imagine. They showed no remorse for anybody, and none of us could stop them. Not even Vegeta or Piccolo, and they were the strongest out of all of us. I barely managed to escape after blacking out in rage. I was only able to hold them off long enough to make my getaway." Gohan deeply recalled the first great fall at that island southwest of South City. By the time they showed up, the island was already in ruins. Death and ash covered all that remained of the island. He never forgot about his teacher, protector and friend who fell so quickly to his knees.

"Gohan! Run, they're too strong! Nooooooo!" was Piccolo's last words before the dark haired, tan skinned cyborg carried out his death sentence. Then he recalled Vegeta's death, along with Krillin and the others. In a matter of moments, the most powerful fighters in the world died horrific deaths in battle. He narrowly escaped, vowing to avenge them, and return honor and peace to the earth. Those few minutes of horror felt like an eternity to him, replaying in his head countless times, and each time he thought about it only made him want to erupt like a vicious volcano.

"We needed dad. If he was there, he would have known what to do, and to this day, I believe that we could have destroyed them. I've seen the look in their eyes, Trunks. They're so lifeless and cold. I heard that they were originally humans." Gohan explained.

"Mom must have told you that, cuz she told me the same thing." Trunks exclaimed.

"It was her and a few other people who told me. According to them, Dr. Gero performed all kinds of crazy experiments on those two, but they were only rumors though, and regardless of what they went through, that doesn't justify what they're doing either." Gohan gripped his hand tightly, forming into a fist, almost wanting to let go.

"Hey Gohan, take it easy! We'll beat those guys! I know we will." Trunks gave his teacher some hope, easing his nerves for a little while at least.

"You're right, Trunks, we will. You can count on that." His lips formed a smirk, feeling the scar, the battle wound that always reminded him of his battle with Android Eighteen three years before.

"So teacher, do you plan to take on the androids again?" Trunks just had to ask him, despite already knowing that answer.

"I fought one of them a few years back. I thought I had what it took, but I couldn't beat one of them, so I can only imagine how tough it'd be facing two of them head on. After I transformed into a super saiyan, I overpowered her for a moment, but I know she survived that night." Gohan grimly said to him.

"Well, you'll keep showing me how to become a super saiyan too right?" the determined boy asked.

"You will in time, don't worry. I'll help you bring that out. I know you can do it!" he replied cheerfully. "When I was fighting android Eighteen, I was about to get killed, but there was a point in which I felt all of my anger and sorrow just slip away. It turned into my energy. At that moment I didn't care if she killed me, or what my fate could have been. I saw my aura shine like the sun, and I had the power within me. It was incredible." Rambling on with his story, Trunks stood and listened carefully. "I almost had her, but I know they're still around, waiting for an opportunity to attack again."

"Man, that's just intense. I really want to become one now. If you can do it, then I know I can! I just wish I knew how too." Trunks said discouragingly.

"I'm afraid that it's not easy, but I'll tell you what my dad told me. In order to transform, it comes in response to a need, not a desire. Powering up all the time won't do it, but it can be done under a desperate situation. When Freeza killed krillin, it drove my dad mad, and he completely lost control of himself, thus driving him to change. It's the pain of losing everything, when you're on the edge of defeat with nowhere else to run; that's when your power will come to surface." Gohan continued his explanation to Trunks, as he remained close, keeping his ears open to what he had to say. Normally the average kid had no attention span, and would have grown bored of all the talk, but all it did was draw his interest even more.

"So that almost makes it impossible for me to achieve it then… this stinks!" Trunks groaned.

"Hey, don't stress it kid, you'll figure it out! If I can do it, so can you. Til then, we'll keep training and I'll help you bring it out, but until then, we need to get ready for your birthday tomorrow. So how about we crash at my place tonight?" He said light heartedly.

"Yeah, that sounds good, but… I want to know something Gohan." he said, as the orange sunlight aimed towards the west.

"What's up Trunks?" the master wondered what was on the kid's mind.

"Where do you think the androids have run off too now?" he asked.

"Good question, they haven't attacked a city that I know of since I fought one of them three years ago, but I know they're plotting something, and we must be ready for them." After he stated this,

"Right!" uttered out of the determined kid, and they took off into the skies where they rested for the big day tomorrow.

The next day…

It was a special day indeed, as Trunks celebrated his eleventh birthday. Since West City lost most of its inhabitants, company became very uncommon in the capsule house, and only Bulma, Trunks, and Gohan spent the day together. After devouring a delicious chocolate double fudged cake with eleven shining candles, the genius and great chef tried her best to cook enough rice, meat, veggies, and other assortments of meals for the two starving powerhouses. Not to mention again, the yummy cake that got chomped down in a matter of seconds.

So while they anticipated a refueling experience of the greatest lunch on earth, the lonely widow, Chi Chi was about to receive some unexpected guests of her own. "KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!" rattled through the small house in the deep open country. It was bad timing since she was preoccupied trying to knock out all of the dishwashing before she called it a day.

"Who on earth would be here? It better not be those guys trying to sell that super expensive vacuum cleaner again! I've already said "NO" five times in two weeks!" she loudmouthed angrily in the way that not even Goku could handle it. As she stumbled to the front door, dropping two glasses and a thick, white glass plate that shattered all over the hard wood floor before she finally opened it slowly.

To her surprise, a young man with dark hair, wearing a black shirt with an orange scarf around his neck, along with blue jeans and a pair of sneakers mixed with black and green. He obviously wanted to look hip with the kids, especially with that cute blonde standing next to him. She kept it plain with a white long sleeve shirt tucked in her skin tight blue jeans that proudly showed off her figure. Any man would have drooled for her, but unfortunately, Chi Chi was the only person there to answer the door, and the guests were no ordinary people. Their cold, azure eyes, golden ear rings, and the mark of the Red Ribbon beast on their chests gave that away. So as soon as the widow of Goku recognized them, fear consumed her, immediately.

"Oh no… it's you." She slowly stuttered in terror as her face turn pale as the dead.

"Hi, can Gohan come out to play, we're bored." Android Seventeen said in a friendly, but creepy tone.

It seemed that the twins of doom have come out of their hiding, and they're searching for none other than Gohan. It didn't take long for her to realize who they were. Remembering their appearances from the news stations, terror consumed her soul, and with no one there to protect her, she was at their mercy.

Meanwhile, back at the capsule house, Gohan and Trunks were too wrapped up in consuming a month's worth of food in one sitting. They stayed in the remnants of the giant yellow dome that once stood for the multibillion Zeni Empire. Sitting in the dining room, surrounded by generic silver walls to the ceiling, they devoured bowls after bowls full of white rice covered with all kinds of spices and other assortments. They paid no attention to the large, cracked bay window to their right, showing the apocalyptic scenery of the once thriving metropolis of West City. For the longest time, the third largest city in the world took pride in having over ten million residents, but after the android invasion, only about sixty thousand people remained there. Everyone else suffered death, or fled to underground colonies where the local militias took over in the operation after the military and governments disbanded. For the citizens, it was every man, woman, and child for themselves, but that was another story, for another place, at another time.

By then, Bulma started pushing into her early forty's during her son's birthday, but her appearance generally remained unchanged. While she avoided sharing her age with anyone, she took pride in keeping her youthful figure. Returning to the dining room to add more food for the starving warriors, all she did was shake her head and laugh at them for being a pair of pigs.

"I swear Gohan, every time I see you, you look and act more like your father." She chuckled, taking a seat to the left of the small squared table. After swinging his chopsticks like a wild man against the fried rice mixed with veggies and meat and soy sauce, he simply glanced back at her, with his cheeks inflated like two balloons about to pop.

"Mmph mhpm mmph phuh phuh! GULP! You really think so?" after chomping down his tenth bowl, he asked nervously.

"Yes I do." She couldn't help but laugh at him, in reminiscent of the young, cheerful hero from the distant past. "You're so gentle, but so terrifying and powerful at the same time. He'd be so proud to see how strong you've become, and it looks like you're setting an example for my son. Can't say it's a bad thing." She giggled, snickering at Trunks as she glared at him for cleaning up almost a dozen bowls of dinner, finishing it as the mentor did the same.

"More please!" both guys insisted for more, piling their empty dishes in her arms.

"At this rate, I'll be outta food, geez!" She cautiously strolled back into the kitchen, watching her piled dishes wobble back and forth, hoping not to let them shatter below. When she made it, Bulma went back to work, performing another round of cooking.

However, the content look of Gohan's look changed drastically. Hearing a faint, a feeling of wretchedness hit his gut stronger than any blow, and his spirit became troubled, and it wasn't an upset stomach from eating too much either. Shrieking in horror, the cry that Gohan heard in his soul was obviously familiar to him, no longer having the will to eat anything else, it made Trunks puzzled at his best friend acting so weird.

"Gohan are you okay? You seem so distant all of the sudden." Trunks asked him in concern, but he refused to answer since he felt the life of someone dear to him slipping away,

"Gohan! HEEEELLLLLPPPPPPP!" he heard and felt the agony, and he jerked from the table.

'_They're back, and I know that mom is in danger… darn them! How did they find her?' _But then he looked sharply at his pupil, ignoring the blue haired one bringing in another bout of goods, but he knew what he had to do next, and quickly. "Trunks, stay here, I'll be back!" Gohan uttered, showing his serious side. I have this feeling they're back and out to get Chi Chi this time. She's in danger, I can feel it!" he quickly dashed for the front door.

"Be careful Gohan, don't get yourself killed." The sapphire haired widow said in worry, as she followed him outside, and she wasn't the only one going out there either.

"I'm going with you Gohan! You'll need my help!" He insisted on going with him.

But at the same time, the stressed fighter and the concerned mother at the same time screamed out, "No Trunks!"

The lone hero's face grimaced. "If it's the androids, then I don't think I could forgive myself if something happened to you." As Gohan powered up in their front yard, he finished with, "I'll be back, don't worry!" and then he took off, blazing through the horizon and beyond.

"Gohan, please come back in once piece. We can't lose you." Bulma took a deep sight, as she lowered her head, but Trunks grew too anxious. He just refused to stand there and wonder what might happen next.

"Mom, I'm going to help him." He uttered quietly.

"Trunks, don't even think about going!" she sternly commanded her son, but he focused his concern on his master.

"Sorry mom, but I can't leave Gohan… I gotta be there for him. He'll need my help if it's them." And without giving a second thought, he leaped into the sky, following Gohan's trail, and leaving behind a rough gust of wind.

"Trunks, come back!" she shouted out, but it was too late. He had already left. "Ugh! He's so stubborn, just like his dad." She sighed so deeply, falling to her knees in despair. _'Oh Vegeta… if you're up there, please watch over our son.'_

Moments later, Gohan made it to his side of the world, witnessing exactly what he feared. His home lied crumbled to its foundation, and in desperation, he frantically searched for her in the pile of destruction.

"Mom! Where are you? Are you okay?" he panicked, grabbing and throwing piles of broken wood in all directions. '_I can still sense her… it's weak, hang in there mom!'_

After a few minutes of deep digging, he found her, horribly wounded within the ruins. Gently taking her from the destroyed home, he helped her escape the rubble. He looked directly at her, feeling how limp she was. '_Oh no, I'm too late.' _"Mom! It's me, wake up! Please." He pleaded for her to live.

Her eyelids slowly opened a little bit, hardly able to stay alive. Seeing her only son holding her close was the only thing that motivated her to hang on by the skin of her teeth. She bled profusely from her gashing wounds. She didn't have much time left. "G… G… Gohan…" she softly muttered, forming a small smile, as her eyes remained half shut. "They… came here… they said… that… they were looking for you."

"Did the androids attack you?" he asked her.

"Yes… they did. They beat me up, and then blasted the house with me in it… they attacked me because I wouldn't tell them where you were… They were… so cold… so lifeless… Cough! COUGH!" she squirmed in his arms a bit, as a trail of blood poured from the left side of her lip, past her chin, scaring her son even further.

"Mother, save your energy! I'm going to get you some help. I'll get Koren to give us some sensu beans, and you'll be fixed in no time! I'll nab some after I get you over to Bulma's!" He tried to stay positive, but he knew her life force was slipping away faster and faster.

"It's too late… for me Gohan…. I won't make it." Her sound was almost a faint whisper. "Just promise me, that you will… live."

"I'll get them for this, I swear." He vowed.

"Gohan… I…" she couldn't finish, breathing her last, and she died being held tightly by her beloved son. He felt her spirit drift away, another burden added to his tormenting conscience. "Mom, don't die on me! Please… come back." The dam that held his feelings together broke once again, and a river of tears flowed out of it while he held her close. '_This isn't fair… first my dad, then Piccolo, and now my mom…. It's all because I wasn't strong enough to stop them. Even as a super saiyan. I should have gone after eighteen when I had the chance, but I blew it! I can't take this anymore! If only I was strong enough… Tell me why… tell me why it must end this way?' _The Switch flipped back on, the one that triggered when being pushed too far.

'_All this anger, sadness, sorrow and rage; I can't hold it in anymore… I feel it slipping. Mother, forgive me.' _In that instant, Gohan's sanity slipped away again, venting his rage for the whole world to feel.

"No more!" he screamed out passionately, as he shined like the sun, turning his hair golden. His eyes shifted from black to emerald. He delved deeply into his super saiyan transformation. It was not how he wanted it to end. His power became so strong that the earth reacted by creating a violent storm around the country side. His mind, consumed by madness wanted to break the androids; the two heartless souls who stole his life, and took everything he loved away over a senseless grudge from a lunatic named Dr. Gero, or was it simply over the artificial humans lust for suffering? Gohan didn't know, nor did he care. He simply wanted them to suffer, just as he suffered over the grueling years.

Not noticing that Trunks arrived, he stayed blind in his radiating rage, and the poor kid, distraught, scared, and amazed at the same time saw Gohan's legendary form. He had seen it before while training, but not in his raw, unrestrained state.

"Gohan… are you still... you?" he asked shyly at his mentor who took a sharp gaze at the startling poor kid.

"Trunks, get Bulma over here so she can make a proper burial for my mom." After giving out his orders, he placed her down, going back to the fallen home where he found a torn and dirty sheet to cover her up.

"Yes, I'll get her… but what are you going to do?" he shook in fear, overwhelmed by his presence.

"I'm going to make them pay for what they did." He angrily declared.

"But won't you need my help?" he insisted on joining him regardless.

"No… I'll finish them off. Just do as I told you and get Bulma, hurry!" the super saiyan commanded him one last time.

"Okay, if you insist… just get em okay?" Trunks said.

The mentor nodded in agreement. "You got it, now go!"

"Right!" Trunks flew into the heavens while Gohan took off into a different direction.

"It's time to end this! Nobody else is going to die… nobody!" He looked ahead, seeing the uprising heat of fire hundreds of miles away. The ruthless machines have resumed their attack on another helpless city. Without hesitation, he pursued them, determined to bring an end to their evil oppression. Did Gohan have the power within to conquer the cold blooded murderers? Find out next time on the next action packed chapter of Dragon Ball Z!


	5. Chapter 5: Gohan's Second Confrontation

**Sorry for the wait everyone. This is round two for Gohan and the Androids going at it. Don't have much to say about it, but thanks so much for the support. As powerful as Gohan is, he just can't stop those androids. Well, without further ado, Enjoy!**

**DM777**

Dragon Ball Z: Timeline Zero

Chapter 5: Gohan's second confrontation

Previously on Dragon Ball Z, Gohan and Trunks kept a very low profile, training vigorously to achieve the strength needed to stand against the enemies. As they reminisced at the hero's memorial, they realized how difficult it was to become the legendary Super Saiyan. While Gohan earned it at his time of need, it was time to bring that power out of Trunks, but that was easier said than done. Even though the times seemed to have become quiet, there was still restlessness in the air, and everyone lived in fear for their lives, wondering when they'd make another assault against the innocent people. Ultimately, Trunk's eleventh birthday celebration suffered a terrible interruption when Gohan sensed that Chi Chi was in grave danger. Making his return to the small home in the middle of nowhere, he discovered that the place that was once his home got thrown up in flames and demolished before his very eyes. His beloved mother died in his arms thanks to the two menaces, which caused Gohan to unleash his inner fury. After telling Trunks to get Bulma so she could perform a proper burial for his fallen mother, he began the hunt for the two killers. Consumed by fury, the loss of another loved one drove him to pursue the cyborgs, chasing their tracks, unaware that this was all a part of their plan.

The infernal gates of hades opened, and the blazing hero surfaced into what was previously the thriving metropolis of Hope City, Three hundred miles northeast of West City. The searing flames silenced the millions of innocents who cried in vain. Plowing through the scorching heat, trying his best not to land without getting burned alive, Gohan heard all of them. He felt the helpless agony that the wicked monsters brought forth; a return of their invasion. They stood dead center of the ravaged city, showing only amusement as they blasted at anybody who happened to survive. To have the privilege of living only delayed the inevitable since they made sure that nobody escaped alive.

"Take a three year vacation, and they give us more places to bring down… they sure know how to rebuild." Android seventeen laughed in thrill.

"And they were so convinced that we were gone for good. Hah! The look on everyone's faces when we made our triumphant return… it was so priceless!" Eighteen stepped in with her onslaught of fun.

"Maybe if we take more breaks, we can do this forever. Killing all of these stupid humans never gets old." The male cyborg continued, bringing another sky scraper down where it plummeted to the bottom, burying more citizens in a cloud of dust and concrete. Noticing the approaching glow, the androids dropped what they were doing. It made them curious to see that strange glowing light which grew larger by the second.

"Hey check it out sis, it's a flying light bulb." He indulged mindlessly in his insult. "Oh wait! It's the lone wolf you were talking about. Hah! Light a city on fire, and he comes straight for the bait." While Seventeen grinned menacingly, the blonde cyborg expressed a mix of fear and anger. Finally, Gohan stood against the androids face to face. Glowing like the sun, his blazing aura brushed the dirt away with his rage.

"You! This is the end of your reign of terror! I'll make both of you regret ever being created by that old bastard Gero!" Gohan vented out, keeping himself firm while keeping his stand. The ring leader seventeen didn't take his treat seriously, spitting a wad to the dirt in disrespect.

"Such a valiant jester, but that's what your friends said too. We've been waiting for you buddy. I got a bone to pick with you for not coming out to play with us. We were getting… bored, so we killed your mommy in your place. It's too bad you weren't there to keep her safe." The dark haired machine pulled his strands back, as the other cyborg stepped back a little bit, angered by remembering the same golden glowing aura from Gohan. It was the same powerful form, the super saiyan that brought the bitter woman to her knees, triggering the nightmare from three years before.

"It's that strange golden glow again! I remember it from that night… Seventeen, we can't underestimate him. Let's kill him now before he becomes a real threat to us." She anxiously warned him, looking hard at her brother.

Seventeen's lips smirked ominously. "Don't worry, it's the same trick that Vegeta pulled off and I wiped him out in a matter of seconds, remember?" but his insisting didn't encourage her one bit, and Gohan had cut him off by shouting out,

"I haven't forgotten about that! I'm going to avenge his death, along with my mother's and everyone else you've murdered in cold blood!" his firm shout still failed to shed the cold cyborg's confidence.

"Please, you have no chance. You're still too weak." Seventeen cockily insulted him.

"You should access the saiyan file number thirty two, sections six through ten and then tell me…" Eighteen said.

After a few seconds of beeps and flashes in his eyes, several paragraphs of information uploaded into his artificial sight. After reading the info carefully, he uttered out, "oh, I see, I get it now. Saiyans have the gift of becoming more powerful after recovering from injuries in battle. I see why you're concerned."

"Hmph, told you." She groaned, aggravated. It seemed she's been having some anger issues lately.

"Before we begin to carry out your death sentence, let's see how far along you've gone. Surely, you're no more powerful than Vegeta was…" giving Gohan a firm scan, a series of numbers overtook his vision, keeping a sharp stare at him. Beeping a couple of times, the results loaded a few seconds later, making the android grimace, and then his eyes opened wide a bit after reading the concluding number. "If my calculations are correct, his fighting power is over one-hundred million! Maximum threat level…" He looked over at her real quick. "Now, let's get started sis. We're taking him out today!"

"No chance on my life!" Then Gohan stretched his arms out towards his enemies, sending forth great winds, knocking the twins senselessly into the air. Charging towards them, he quickly caught up with the stronger android, Seventeen. Delivering a powerful double handed slam, he hurled the cyborg into the ruins, but suffered retaliation by the other machine who threw a cheap shot fist to his face, which gave her time to send countless waves from her hands. Thanks to their self-recharging energy supply, they were able to fire all the ki blasts they wanted too without fear of becoming exhausted. Dodging her waves, he charged back at her, but the other android had resurfaced, and they all clashed in the skies above. Two on one, they exchanged light speed punches, kicks, and blows. For a few moments, the super powered warrior held it together, but their numbers proved otherwise. Gaining the upper hand, they shoved two fists deep into his midsection, forcing him away. While he got thrown into the wind, he recovered himself, giving chase, unleashing a devastating double handed clothesline that threw them back straight for a tower leaning to the side and beyond that.

Taking a landing, Gohan knew that it was only the beginning of another brutal struggle against them. After the early throw down, the cyborgs returned to their feet, feeling unhindered by the savage battle that took place. As they approached Gohan on foot, they grew mutually frustrated at the opposing hero.

"I give you my respects Gohan, you're a lot tougher than Vegeta and Piccolo were, but you still won't live to see another day." Seventeen grumbled out, wiping that glop of blood from his lip, shocking the super saiyan greatly.

'_Wait a minute. Is he bleeding? I thought that they were totally mechanical… something isn't right. I heard rumors that they were once human, but it's only rumors.' _He concealed his fear by confidently uttering out. "You two are the ones who are losing! I'm already stronger than you guys."

"Oh don't get too cocky, boy! We aren't like you. We don't get tired and our energy doesn't dissipate after every attack." Eighteen snickered at the hero, giving him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"It means that Dr. Gero created us with self-replenishing energy generators, so in other words, our energy supply is infinite. It doesn't matter to us how strong you are. We'll just wear you down until you can't defend yourself anymore." Seventeen finished the explanation.

Gohan remained steady, but once again, he felt like he was another rat caught at the end of a corner with nowhere to run. _'No wonder we've had such a hard time. That means I'll have to destroy them quickly before this body of mine breaks down. Darn it! I can't give up; the whole world is counting on me.' _The discouraged warrior uttered quietly, trying all he could to keep his hope intact, wanting to reason with the androids, but he also wanted to know something else if they chose to continue the fight.

"We don't have to do this… why do you want to hurt these innocent people. They're defenseless. What wrong have they done to you?" he questioned them, demanding to know their motives. "But if you have no reason to hurt them, then I guess you guys have no human left in you at all." And when he said that, it only angered them further.

"You have no clue how much we despise this human scum!" the blonde cyborg tensed up. "We were once just like them, completely human." She gritted her teeth, angrily explaining her side, but then seventeen stepped in, showing a disgusted look on his face.

"What?" Gohan gasped. '_So the rumors I heard about them were true. That's why I saw blood from Android seventeen. I can only imagine what they had to go through.' _ And he was about to find out about all of the torment they had suffered while under the evil scientist's control. The leading android continued with the story.

"We were children when it happened. We grew up in a small, quiet town until a group of bandits invaded our home. They took what they wanted, shot and killed our parents, and then ran off after burning our house down to the ground. They left us alone to die. While we managed to live through it and escape, the four of us roamed the streets alone." Seventeen explained.

"Wait, there was four of you guys?" Gohan asked in shock.

"That's right, we had a younger brother, and an older sister. Then he showed up. That old man adopted us, promised that he'd give us a good life." Seventeen had to pause, sharing a side that Gohan never thought to have seen; pain, sorrow, and anguish. Seventeen couldn't say anything else without tearing up, so his twin sister took his place.

"He kept us locked up in that damn bunker for I don't know how many years…" Eighteen continued the story, as she showed her side of misery. "He tortured and performed experiments on all of us… He put us to sleep whenever he wanted to… just to wake us up, causing us to feel… different. My older sister and younger brother died a long time ago, and he didn't show any remorse for killing them. Instead of giving them a burial, he disposed their bodies by using it for fuel to keep his secret base running, labeling our siblings 'Failed Experiments'." Eighteen showed tears in her eyes in front of the saiyan hero, and for once, Gohan felt pity for them, but he kept quiet as seventeen picked up where she left off.

"It felt like an eternity in there. Whoever thought that never seeing the sun again would make you crazy?" he explained. "He kept saying that he wanted to make the perfect fighting machines over some grudge he had against Goku for killing his partner and destroying the Red Ribbon Army." He lowered his head towards the ground, feeling heavier by the moment having to relive those moments of suffering. "For ten years, we had to go through all of his splicing, testing, and having him force chips and circuits into us. Gero drugged us constantly, manipulating us, taking away our sanity and humanity more and more each day. So people killed our family, and people took away our right to live as peaceful human beings! That old man did us a favor when he turned us into super cybernetic warriors, so we killed him as payment for what he and this world have done to us." Seventeen gripped his fist in rage, as his eyes boiled strongly. The pain he was going through was unbearable.

"So let me ask you something Gohan?" the young man, infuriated took a sharp, firm gaze at him. "Where were you and the earth's greatest heroes when we lost our parents? Who came to help us when that old gruff tortured us to satisfy his selfish ambitions?" He grabbed a hold of a broken, thick piece of broken road pavement, squeezing it firmly until it shattered, falling like dirt. "Nobody! So because of what we had to go through, everyone else will suffer!"

"Just seeing everyone blindly living in complacency makes us want to throw up… we hate them! So they'll spend every second of their lives in fear, exactly like what we had to go through!" the moody gal concluded it. "You will never understand what we had to deal with… we even lost our names. We have nothing!"

The glowing hero stood in astonishment at the androids, the same ones whom killed his friends and family so mercilessly. The hellish life, the misery, and their horrific torment caused Gohan to feel nothing but sympathy for them. Looking blankly at them, he collected his thoughts, allowing his compassion to flow out of him.

"I can't even imagine what you've had to endure being prisoners to Gero, but revenge isn't the answer for it. Not everyone in this world is that cold blooded. There's so many out there who cry out for peace." '_Man, I'm starting to sound like dad now, but it's the truth.' _"You don't have to keep killing innocent people. Do you really think that this is going to take back your humanity?" Gohan gave a compassionate testimony that Goku would have been proud of, but he learned the hard way that there was no reasoning with the relentless cyborgs.

"There's not a damn thing you can do to make us reconsider! So stop wasting your time with your 'good guy' talk. Everyone will die, and those who manage to survive can fear for their lives just as we did!" the black haired cyborg shifted his sound from anguish to thrill in killing humanity. "You'll see your friends and family again in whatever pit you guys call the afterlife." The ground below tremored violently around them as their eyes turned completely white which drove them mad. Gohan didn't see it, but there were two spots on their necks, sending signals to their brains that forced them to have the desire to kill and destroy. Later on, they would have found out that the androids were being influenced by synthetic emotion glands that brought out the negative feelings in them.

"The next dimension welcomes you!" the female cyborg showed the same thrilling look, as they prepared to fight again.

"Then I have no choice… no more bloodshed. This ends here!" Gohan accelerated his power, pushing his golden aura into a speeding, spinning wave but then he suddenly heard what sounded like numerous shouts and cheers from behind. At first it sounded faint and distant, but it was building up, becoming louder, and broader. It seemed that the remaining survivors of the city gathered together, witnessing someone stand against them. Thousands from different sections of the city cheered him on, many of them heavily armed, some of them police, and other armed citizens. Even women and children stood in support. Despite being powerless, the people of the earth have had enough of the oppression. Turning back to see the vast numbers come together, he sensed their pain, their losses. They've had enough.

"Do you see them?" Gohan stated, staring back at the two tyrants. "They're crying out for someone to save this world, and even though you've killed so many of them, they will stand up for what they believe in, longing to live in peace!" Gohan bravely shouted at the androids, only to turn and look at them one last time, his expression turned very serious. "What do you guys think you're doing? Get away from here!" he yelled at them, and at first they were hesitant. They didn't want to retreat since they had faith in Gohan to stop them, but he kept pressuring them to get out. "Go before it's too late!"

Thankfully, they listened to his warning, organizing quickly to get them all out of there, departing from the area as quickly as their feet would let them. Most of the armed forces led the evacuation, but the two machines had something else in mind.

"Sorry Gohan, but I can't allow them to leave… so instead, they'll all die, wondering why their hero couldn't save them." Seventeen uttered out maniacally, both laughing like two lunatics at a psych ward, sending ki blasts in every direction.

"Oh no! I can't let anyone else get killed!" the super saiyan vanished, then reappearing as fast as he was able to, trying everything in his power to divert every energy blast that was heading for the retreating people. Where the beams were going, Gohan managed to stop all of the blasts from destroying them, but then he looked to his right, where a wave of energy zoomed past him, crashing into some of the helpless evacuees.

"Darn it! I missed one!" then "BOOOOOMMMM!" followed by hundreds who screamed to their deaths, as the androids stood in amusement, mockingly clapping at his efforts.

"Way to go hero! You saved most of them. Nice job." Seventeen insulted the golden warrior.

"I've had enough of your games!" he screamed, charging at the twins for another round of fighting.

Leading Gohan back into the clouds, they clashed again. Back and forth, their fists swung wildly, causing sonic booms to echo everywhere, but being out numbered two to one worked against the lone fighter. The androids started throwing him around like ping pong ball bouncing against both ends, but he finally broke out of it and hurled a shining fist at Seventeen, knocking him out of the way, but the artificial warrior landed on a ruined building, dashing at Gohan as Eighteen pursued him from the other side. Before they were able to give him a double whammy, the lone fighter vanished instantly, causing the twins of evil to crash into one another. After taking a painful collision, they saw Gohan making haste above them, with his palms over his head yelling out. "Masenko Hannnn!"

A giant beam of light pushed out of his palms while the twins of doom powered up, sending their waves to counteract against it. Meeting halfway, they struggled for the win, but Gohan pushed his power to the max, and he overwhelmed the androids. "GAHHHH!" the screamed as his energy attack send a dome of flames into the skies above. Leaving behind a gigantic pit, Gohan carefully stood nearby, gasping heavily, trying to recover as quickly as possible since he was totally exhausted from his ultimate move.

"Did I get them? I can't tell since I'm not able to sense their power levels." He asked himself.

For a moment, he thought that he finally destroyed them, but that fragment of hope slipped away, as two beams of light emerged from the dirt below. Soon, the bright beams faded, and the two androids took its place.

"Aw man, you gotta be kidding me. I put all of my energy into that blast… Dad what do I do now?" he said to himself in disappointment, seeing the moderately wounded cyborgs crossing their arms, showing evil smirks when they took their stands again.

"Getting tired already Gohan? We were starting to have fun too. It looks like that it's game over for you." Android Seventeen threw another taunt at him.

"You could always eat another senzu bean, but I think that killing you is a better solution, hehehehe." The young beauty giggled ruthlessly, as they posed to finish the fight.

'_Oh geez, if I keep going, then they'll get me for sure. Who the heck am I fighting? These guys are insane.' _He gazed over at the sun, hovering midair in the middle of the afternoon, and that gave him an idea. _'Yeah, that's it. I have no choice, but hang in there everybody. I gotta live to fight another day. I need to train some more.' _

With no time to lose, he leaped towards the shining sphere. "Well guys, I had fun, but I'll see you later." He said, showing a kind grin at them.

"Seventeen, he's trying to get away." She said in panic.

"Heh, he's not going anywhere!" he declared, scurrying into the air for Gohan with Eighteen behind him, but they suffered a rude interruption when they saw him using the sun for another move.

"SOLAR FLARE!" he screamed loudly, blinding them momentarily.

Not even their enhanced vision was able to handle handle the intense brightness of the sun. After a minute of error pop ups, their visual sensors rebooted, restoring their eyes to normal levels, but it was too late. Their threat went missing in a flash.

"Ugh, he got away. We need to find him before he goes into hiding again." The angry young lady hollered.

"Heh, let him go. He's bound to turn up again eventually, and when he does, we won't let him get away." The other android explained calmly.

After narrowly escaping their wrath, Gohan went into the shadows, preparing himself once again for his next shot at fighting the diabolical androids. During the next three years, nobody knew where Gohan went off to. Not even Trunks saw him again. In fact, nobody knew his whereabouts, and he wouldn't surface again for a long time. However, the survivors of Hope City spread word throughout the world that a golden angel came to stand against the evil monsters. Being the biggest talk on the news, the encouragement gave humanity hope for the first time since they learned about young Goku defeating King Piccolo. As the legend of the Golden Guardian continued to headline the TV and newspapers, he and the young Trunks went their separate ways. One stayed in hiding, trying to earn more power to end their grasp, but the other half blood saiyan did the same, training on his own to become a super saiyan. As the son of Vegeta's power grew, he also wondered if he'd ever see his mentor and best friend again, next time on Dragon Ball Z: Timeline Zero.


	6. Chapter 6: Gohan's Final Act

**Hey folks! Been such a long time since I've gotten back on here. Once again I want to apologize for my absence. I've been dealing with a lot of personal issues and just now gotten around to getting back on my feet. I ultimately lost my motivation to write so this story ended up going on Hiatus. I haven't given up on this project, and this time I intend to see it through. I also just thought my writing quality was getting worse. I've obviously gotten a little rusty but I'll do all that I can to improve. If any of you guys are still keeping up, thanks again for all of the support. It's good to be back on here, and hopefully this time, it won't take me another year to get the next chapter up. **

**DM777**

Chapter 6: Gohan's Final act

Three years after Gohan's second fight…

On the road, Trunks and Bulma decided to take a trip out of town, trying their best to unwind from the nightmare they've had to endure for so long. After a few days of relaxing at the country side, the time had come for them to return home, or whatever was left of it. On the lonely, barren, and worn down street, they steadily rode in their yellow, hovering two-seater. They often wondered where the hero of earth had vanished too. Now Fourteen years old, Trunks possessed greater power than ever before, and his saiyan inheritance proved that he was growing further and deeper into becoming the warrior his father once was. As he grew older, so did that urge to fight the androids, and at times, it drove him mad to take at the thought of taking his shot against them. Constantly restless, Trunks sat uncomfortably and anxiously on the passenger seat as they listened to the radio. It was always something going on in a city throughout the world. Nobody was safe, and by then over eighty percent of the world's population had succumbed to their wrath. The only good news however, was the constant talk about the golden hero who will bring peace to all of humanity. On that day, King Furry, the old demi human whom resembled a bluish, gray cat started his annual global address. Though only a few were still alive to listen to him.

"People of earth," he scratched his throat, though sounding fatigued, he tried his best to contain his composure of being the world's leader. "Thirteen years have come and gone, and these desolate times have been terrible because of the twisted and wicked monsters that have reined havoc over our world…" he couldn't help but sigh, grieving over the massive losses. "But we shall never lose hope. I recall a long time ago when the evil King Piccolo tried to devour the world with his evil ambitions. Then a young boy named Goku stood against him and his minions. He bravely defeated this hated enemy and saved us all from certain doom. For so long I have prayed that either he or someone just like him would appear, but then it was three years ago at Hope City, where one man shined like the sun just as mightily as Goku. He took his stand and danced against the devils. He saved thousands of lives whom on this day have shared their stories of witness many times. He has given us encouragement that someone has the power to deliver us from their tyranny."

King Furry took another moment to pause, and for those who saw him on camera, he removed the hat from the crown of his head, lowering it as he paced to and fro. Trunks and Bulma kept listening, as they too longed for the return of their old friend.

"Unfortunately, no one has seen him since, and those two fiends have continued their senseless terror on our civilizations. Despite all of this, I must urge all of you to stay strong, and have faith. For I believe that he is still watching over us." The old king couldn't hold his feelings anymore, and he stumbled to his knees crying out desperately, "Oh Golden Warrior, if you can hear us, where are you? We need you, for we are in your debt! Rescue us just as Goku had saved us from the wrath of Piccolo… so this ends my global address." With the help of two representatives, the elderly ruler managed to return to his feet, placing his old hat back atop his fuzzy head. "Goodbye, my people, and God bless us all."

The address ended, as Bulma and Trunks knew exactly who he was speaking of. "That must have happened when we buried Chi Chi… I can't believe that he's been trying to fight the androids on his own. We haven't even seen Gohan since that then either." She took a deep sigh, while keeping one of her hands on the wheel. "He sure has a bad habit of just dropping off the face of the earth. He could at least swing by and say hello!" Bulma ranted, almost forgetting about all the sacrifices he'd made all that time.

"He's been training mom, just as I have been. I know it!" Trunks sounded focused. "He's just waiting for the right time to fight them, but if he doesn't… then I'm going to! They've killed too many people, it has to stop." Trunks showed pure determination.

"No Trunks!" his mother snapped furiously at him. "I've told you a thousand times already that you are not fighting them. I can't risk losing my only son." Though she said it harshly, it was out of love.

"I'm so tired of sitting around doing nothing mom. People are dying, and I just can't take it anymore!" Trunks yelled angrily.

"Trunks, I know this. I feel the same way but we can't do anything about it except try our best to survive." She replied, saddened by that thought.

"I refuse to spend the rest of our lives in fear… wondering if each day will be our last! I've had eno…"

But then the radio kicked back on cutting Trunks off saying, "Breaking news! After taking another six month ceasefire, the two killer androids have just attacked the recently repopulated Pepper City. After spending millions on the restoration project, everyone is now doomed as they're seeing their beloved city go up in flames." The news reporter stated bluntly, driving the young half saiyan into rage.

"AHHHH! That's it! I can't take it! I'm stopping them for good. I'd rather die than just sit here and watch more helpless people die!" he yelled out.

"Trunks wait!" as she tried her best to stop him, he refused to listen, and he leaped from the hover car, leaving his mother behind. All she could do was pray that he made it back alive… somehow.

Entering into the devil's playground formerly known as Pepper City, it was already too late. They left as soon as they burned the city down to its foundation. All alone, Trunks stood in the ruins, seeing the deaths of all the innocence, the young, the women and the old. He witnessed all the horror that Gohan had to carry on his back for all those years. He slowly strolled through the broken pavement. It was once a four lane road where buildings and scorched cars and trucks covered all that remained of the street. The city in ruins was not what hurt him the most. It was seeing all the children, younger than him, fallen, lifeless by their parent's side who all in vain tried to protect them. Not even the local militia stood a chance, and they fell without knowing what hit them. Not one survived, and witnessing all the losses made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't take the pressure anymore.

"No! Is this what Gohan had to carry on his shoulders? This is just wrong. None of them deserved this. Damn those androids!" he slammed his fist against the ruined pavement, forming a small crater that surrounded his hand. All he managed to do was stir up the dirt and dust in the air. Not far off though, was someone else who stood in the road, slowly approaching him saying,

"It's not fair, isn't it Trunks?" the other figure in the ruins uttered.

Trunks turned quickly to face him, not sure whether to feel excited or upset at the same time. "Gohan, this can't continue. We've got to stop them!" Trunks burst into tears, and the elder warrior knew exactly how he felt.

"This is what I've had to see every day for thirteen years kid. I know what you're feeling. There are so many that I wish I could have saved." Gohan reached for Trunks, giving him assurance that he's not carrying the weight of the world alone. It gave his apprentice, a little bit of hope.

"I want to help you this time, please. I've been training nonstop, but it's not the same when I don't have you to help me." Trunks begged him to resume their training, and Gohan kept a steady, serious look, only to shift from anguish to sharing a peaceful innocent smirk.

"Trunks… let's get back to work!" He quickly gave a thumb up.

"Yeah! I can't wait!" he jumped in joy for the first time in years.

A few days later

At the coast far away from society, they continued their practice in fighting. Unlike the previous rounds of fighting, Gohan focused solely on his apprentice reaching the goal of transforming into the legend. At the edge of the country side, the young Trunks concentrated his power, recalling all the events that drove him mad. Feeling the power radiate from Trunks, Gohan was impressed at how much progress he had made during his time of exile. Keeping his crossed arms against his chest, he watched him carefully, still bearing the colors of his fallen father. Then the young trainee pushed himself even further. His aura expanded, releasing bolts of what appeared like emeralds striking the ground all around him. His fury manifested outwardly, causing the earth to tremble wildly. The waves outside the coast became violent because of this power, demonstrating that Trunks had come far in his work.

'Wow, he's going to become stronger than me at this rate. I can feel it. It's only a matter of time before he reaches his transformation, 'he said in thought, noticing that the aura finally shifted into the golden glow. He knew very well that he was one step away so he tried to motivate Trunks. "That's it Trunks! Get furious! Think about everyone they've killed. How they slaughtered all of our friends, family and they'll take my life and your mothers without thinking twice about it!" the teacher raised his voice "Turn your anger into energy! Let it go! Let everything go!" for that moment, the kid transformed, but after a couple of seconds, the super saiyan form faded away, and he fell over, consumed with fatigue, but he refused to give up.

"Ugh, I almost had it." Trunks stumbled back to his feet, soaked in sweat and looking pale as a ghost. "I felt it Gohan! I have to become one. Why is it so hard?" he asked in discouragement, digging both his hands into the wet sand, kneeling down on both knees.

"It's okay Trunks. You're doing a lot better than I did. It took me several years to transform, and it took a lot of work to control it." Gohan said kindly, giving his apprentice some more motivation.

Gazing into the vastness of the sea, the two fighters took a break as the youthful Trunks broke the silence. "So Gohan, when you become a super saiyan, how are you able to stay as one?"

"Well Trunks, at first, I had a tough time controlling it. I couldn't transform at will, something had to trigger me to reach it. I had problems keeping that form for more than a few minutes because it sapped my energy so quickly, but if all I do is think about what those androids did to my friends and family, then that power just explodes out of me. I learned to balance out my energy as a super saiyan but it took a lot of discipline. Give it time bud, you'll get it, I promise." He showed a kind grin, but that empty smile still exposed the gashing scar to the left side of his cheek bone, narrowing upward until it reached the same side of his forehead. Speaking of, when he turned to stare at his reflection against the current, he recalled the first confrontation against Android Eighteen. For a moment, he relived that brutal fight, and how he narrowly defeated the android, only leading to more battles that he had to endure.

"Gohan, what is it? Is something wrong?" Trunks asked in concern, noticing the distant look upon his eyes. Returning to reality, he glanced back at him, saying,

"Oh nothing's wrong, but anyway, let's head back to your moms. I'm sure she's worried sick about you. Plus I'm getting hungry too!" Gohan uttered.

Trunks actually got a little nervous at the thought of another dose from his overprotective mother chewing him out for up and leaving on her. "I'm getting a bit on the hungry side too, but I'm sure dreading having to hear from mom again about leaving her like I did. She always worries about me, but geez, I'm old enough to take care of myself." Trunks ranted.

"At least you still have your mom Trunks…" the teacher sounded a little serious to him. Though he was a bit harsh, Trunks knew that it was the truth. He was there to bury her three years ago, and then he finally summed up the courage to head back to the capsule house.

"You're right, sorry Gohan." he faced toward the dirt and sighed. "Let's get going then."

"Don't stress it kid, we need to get out of here." The son of the legend replied, eager to move on.

Venturing back to the capsule house, they were relieved to get through another day of hard work, but they also wondered if the training was enough. Once they made it home, the two starving heroes feasted on some good cooking, and rested up for the night to train again, for tomorrow was another day, and those who lived were thankful to see that sun rise once again. During the late afternoon , they great duo ventured into some rocky terrain near the outskirts of another restored city, watching its people thrive in the apocalyptic world.

"So Gohan, why are you still wearing your dad's gi? Just wondering." Trunks asked curiously.

"I've always worn his colors after he died. I believed that someday, it would help me be strong like him. He always wanted to protect us and defend this life with all of his heart, and I want to live by his example. I want to make dad proud, and that motivation has kept me going and pushing ever since." But then he looked over at Trunks. "Your dad would have also been proud to see what you've become Trunks."

"You really think so?" he asked.

"Well of course. Though he's not the type to admit it, I'm sure he's looking down right now, knowing that his son lives on." Gohan said encouragingly.

"I hope so… I've worked so hard to get where I am now." Trunks sighed, observing the city ahead.

But then… "BOOM!" arose another round of flames, devouring all the helpless lives with it.

"Gohan, the city, they're back!" Trunks yelled in shock, as multiple clouds of smoke and fire smothered everything in sight.

"No time to sit and watch, let's get em Trunks! Stay close!" Gohan commanded.

"Right!" Trunks nodded, taking off in to the blazing storm ahead. In the middle of the hellfire, the doomsday twins stood together, sending blasts from their hands that brought down the towering achievements to their foundations, taking many lives with it.

"Bringing down the tall buildings never get old. Since it's is broad daylight, I wonder how many people we've killed this time?" Seventeen said in amusement.

"Hah! Who cares, as long as they all suffer then I'm happy with that." She laughed wickedly.

"Cmon sis, we don't want to drive them to extinction. Then we won't have any fun anymore. It'll get lonely on this planet." The male cyborg clarified.

"You have a good point, I guess." She shrugged, rolling her at eyes at him, but then noticed two fighters arriving to stand in their way.

"Hey look, it's Batman and Robin, coming back to save the day." Seventeen snickered, making a stop from his slow stroll on the road, as Gohan edged closer to them with Trunks by his side.

"It stops here androids! We're settling this now!" Gohan declared honorably, transforming into his super saiyan.

"You're sounding like a broken record, Gohan. Maybe you're just butt hurt that we destroyed another one of your Gotham cities. Hahahahah!" the dark haired cyborg mocked him, and then his "sis" had to step in, throwing more insults out.

"What happened to never letting us take any more lives? It's a real bummer that they're all letdown over their "golden angel" who's failed to protect his people." She said mockingly, stretching her left arm out, releasing a ki blast towards the dynamic duo.

Evading the explosion they dashed towards the skies. "Trunks, stay back!" Gohan hollered.

Keeping a distance, Trunks listened to his master, remaining behind and watching the warrior with the shining aura as he hit the frontlines. Slamming a fist against Eighteen, his attack threw her into the crumbled towers. Then Seventeen jumped in, and they danced together, swinging blows back and forth with neither side backing down, until the enraged blonde returned to gang up on the hero. In the distance, Trunks grew infuriated at how they played the game.

"So, they just like to gang up on everybody, how heartless!" He watched them batter Gohan, seeing firsthand how merciless and cold the androids were, by making an example out of his only best friend. No matter how hard Gohan tried to hold his own, they threw him around like a ping pong ball on a table, but instead of falling to the floor, the super saiyan got smashed into rubble constantly. Trunks felt the agony from his master. It fueled his rage even further. His emotions began to slip away slowly.

"Why can't I be a super saiyan? It's the only way I can help him. I can't just sit here and watch my friend die! I won't them get away with this." His sight blurred, and then turned dark, going completely black, as if time itself ceased. Entering into a different realm beyond space and time, he heard an echo from someone in the past.

"Trunks, my son…" he echoed.

"Dad?" Trunks asked all puzzled; appearing in what resembled a large open grass plain, where sunflowers danced in the gentle breeze over the land. Looking directly into the distance, he noticed a figure before him. Though at first he couldn't make out who it was, it gradually came together. The light shining over the realm revealed it to him. Did his spirit enter in the other world?

"Yes son, it's me. You don't remember me, but before I died, I have held you in my arms when you were a little child." The one who was once the prince of all saiyans spoke, standing in the grass before him, wearing his blue saiyan armor. "You have become a true warrior, just like myself. You carry the blood of royalty, and that power of the super elite also surges through your veins." He said calmly.

"Dad, I've tried. I want to be strong. I need to help Gohan, but I don't know how. I'm just too weak." Trunks said discouragingly, but the spirit of his father assured him otherwise.

"You are far more powerful than you believe. If Kakarrot's son can become a super saiyan, so can you. You have the power within! It's the only way to stop them. Trunks, you and Gohan must avenge us! Only then will we find true rest!" Vegeta said.

"Dad… thank you. I'm so glad I finally got to meet you." Trunks felt very assured, as he approached him quickly.

"I've always been watching over you, just as Kakarrot has watched over Gohan. The power of the legends that's in me, I pass on to you. Now use it, and don't hold back." The prince said before the vision started to slip away.

"Now I know what to do… father, I'll make you proud." Soon Trunks returned to reality, and it was as if a switch had flipped on in his mind. He understood what he must do in order to transform. "Gohan, I won't let you fight this alone!" And in that moment, his hair matched that of his teacher. His eyes shifted from purple to like that of a shining emerald, as a shining aura whirled around him, emitting brightly as the sun itself. Without a second to lose, he dashed towards them with great speed.

"I don't care if you kill me! I'll die defending this world. It's not for your taking!" He speared Android Seventeen, as Eighteen backed off, giving Gohan a chance to catch his breath. Finally the hero of legend stood again, wiping the blood off his cuts while his amber gi suffered small rips all over. But he didn't pay attention to that since he was surprised and happy at the same time, seeing his apprentice earning the title of Super Saiyan.

"Trunks, you did it!" Gohan exclaimed.

"We can party later, that guys coming back and he looks pissed!" he spoke too soon, because the twins regrouped.

"Hey bro, we got two walking lightbulbs now. How about we go full power and shut their lights off for good." She said, powering into her full strength, glowing with a white wave of energy, as Seventeen did the same.

"Sounds like a plan, we've let these guys live too long." Seventeen sneered.

Together, the machines charged up into the fullest extent of their strength; power given to them by the mad scientist known as Gero. A blinding wave of energy encircled them, nearly outshining the good force while Trunks and Gohan frantically stepped back in fear, and anger. Guarding against the force of wind that they released.

"They've been holding back all this time? Darn it! How strong are they?" Trunks panicked, trembling in absolute terror.

"We aren't giving up! We can't turn back, Trunks. We have to make our stand here. Goku would have kept fighting, even if he had no chance of winning." With no time to think after Gohan's reassurance, they all collided like a thousand bolts of lightning. Trunks decided to take his shot with Eighteen, swinging his shining fists like wild man, but he couldn't make contact, she easily evaded him despite his new found power. Finding an opening, she head butted the kid and then spin kicked him in the face, followed by an energy blast that dropped him like a bird shot in midair. That gave the twins of death the advantage, double teaming Gohan like two rabid wolves. Managing to evade their rapid fire blasts, he leaped above them, screaming out,

"Mosenko Han!" the massive wave blinded everything, overwhelming the androids in a mushroom cloud of death. Giving Gohan a chance to regroup with Trunks, they immediately took cover in a pile of ruins away from the downtown area, but the machines appeared unharmed from the attack. Back to their normal states, they concealed their power levels, cautiously trying not to blow their cover. Several yards ahead of them, they overheard Seventeen grumbling out…

"Ugh, they went into hiding again. This is getting so old." He was obviously aggravated.

"Let's bomb them out then. They couldn't have gone too far." Eighteen suggested, and her brother agreed. Sending their beams of destruction in every direction, the two heroes remained hidden, as they tried to come up with a way out of their sour pickle.

"Gohan, what do we do?" Trunks asked, afraid.

"We stay here," Gohan quietly replied. 'If dad were here, he'd know what to do. All my life I've wanted to be just like him. If only he didn't die from that heart virus. Not even the sensu beans gave him any relief.'

They continued to lean against the broken rubble, as Gohan remained in thought. 'Dad, I won't let you down, but how can we defeat those androids?' he looked over at Trunks, as if he saw himself when was a kid. Then he heard his father, as if he still survived and was reaching out to him again from far away.

"You've become so strong son. I can't believe how much progress you've made. I wasn't even close to your Strength when I was growing up." Gohan remembered their days of training after the fight with Frieza. "Soon Gohan, you'll be tougher than me, and I won't know what to do then." After hearing this, he noticed Trunks, being nine years younger than him, and then it occurred to him.

'Trunks… he's already a super saiyan, and he's at least twice as strong as I was when I was a kid, and even when I unleashed my power on that island, he's still superior to me. He's the one who will stop them. I can't let them kill Trunks. I know what dad would do… it was great spending all of this time with you Trunks, and I'm sorry that it has to end this way, but someday, I know that you'll understand.'

Making his decision, he glanced at Trunks who said nervously, "Well, what are we going to do?"

Gohan kept a calm look. "Trunks, I'm going to attack them head on, and when I do, I want you to get as far away from here as possible." He ordered firmly, but the kid had to question him.

"But I can't. I'm not leaving your side! We're in this together." Though he insisted, the teacher refused to tolerate his questioning.

"I'm not going to tell you again. If I don't survive, then it's better than both of us getting killed." He harshly stated, as Trunks had water drops pour down his face, knowing what Gohan was about to do.

"You can't. How am I supposed to stop them if you're killed?" he choked out.

"Then you'll destroy them, I know you can if I fail. Now go, little brother." He ordered calmly as Trunks wiped his tears.

"Okay big brother, I understand." At that last minute, Gohan charged forward for the final act, and Trunks retreated into the distant rocky hills and beyond, trying all he could not to look back. However, in the battle field, the determined warrior took his last stand, knowing that he wouldn't make it out of there alive.

"So, you pop out of hiding… good boy. " The cyborg uttered, scanning the area, realizing that someone else was missing. "Where's your little friend?" Seventeen asked mockingly.

"You're fight is with me, so don't worry about him." The super saiyan said bravely.

"Well, it doesn't' matter. This city is your grave. Rest in pieces, little punk." She laughed demonically.

Positioning to fight, the androids approached him, but Gohan, fully powered into this golden form firmly stood his ground. "Even if you destroy this body, someone else will come and take my place, better and stronger than I ever could have been. Not one death will go unaccounted for, not one!" then he powered into his maximum strength, shattering the ground like glass, forcing both cyborgs into defensive stances. While they guarded, their sensors went wild, scanning his power level.

"What?" Seventeen screamed out. "One hundred fifty million? That is not possible!"

"That's what my sensors are saying too!" Eighteen exclaimed.

"He gets stronger every time he comes back. His power now surpasses mine when I'm at the max!" Seventeen flipped out, and had a reason too, since his maximum power level was one hundred twenty five million, and Eighteen's was one hundred fifteen million.

"Sis, we can't let him get away this time. If he keeps this up, we may not be able to stop him next time." Seventeen gave a quick warning.

"Agreed, let's go for the kill!" She uttered.

"Rahhhhhh!" Gohan in his blazing fury rode the lightning straight into the offensive. Into the storming and raining skies, they exchanged countless punches, kicks, and slams, but the heroic son of Goku found an opening, grabbing Seventeen by the collar, head butting him viciously, then he fought Eighteen on her own, as the other artificial human got thrown away. "You can't stop what I've become, and I won't give up until I breathe my last." He strongly shouted, hurling a fist into the blonde's gut, then double handed slamming her into a red and brown dome building, swallowing the android alive as it buried her in ruins. Sadly, his blows were not enough, and they escaped only to see Gohan ready to conclude the act with his father's signature move.

Hovering midair, he cried out, "This is for everyone you've destroyed… they cry out to me every second, begging me to avenge their deaths! KameHameHA!" Gohan had no time to lose, releasing an ocean blue meteor which made hot pursuit towards the machines who shot their beams, trying to divert it back, but it wasn't enough, and they suffered the power from the move of legends.

"GAHHHHHHH!" they both screamed in peril, and then "BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!" it obliterated most of the city, leaving behind nothing but mud, concrete, and stone. Totally exhausted, he landed on his feet, trying desperately to keep his transformation going. Feeling the raindrops beat down against his dirty face, he heard the roaring of thunder, reverberating from one end, traveling to the opposite side of the ruins. After catching his breath, he sighed deeply, knowing that they survived that horrific move. Gohan had to accept the fact that running was not an option. If it meant sacrificing himself to that his apprentice had an opportunity to deliver the world from the two cyborgs, then so be it.

Just as he feared, he saw two figures in the layers of the heavy, torrential rains, slowly walking towards him. In the quick flashes of lightning revealed their wicked, mindless and menacing smiles… their lust to kill the nuisance who kept them from having "fun" from demolishing cities. In the darkness, he heard and felt the cold laughter.

"Oh, the darkness and the rainstorm… how fitting to end this act. As we bombard you, the mud will bury your corpse. At least you'll be seeing your dad soon, hahahahahaha!" the male cyborg sounded like a psychotic mental patient, laughing wickedly like a super villain from another story about a caped crusader.

"It's such a bummer that we got to kill a cute guy like you, but if we live any longer, you might get too strong for us to keep you under control, and we can't have that." The female cyborg, evilly said, showing a trace of her sassiness.

'So, this is it. I'm proud of you Trunks. If I die, then save the world we forever love.' In the last effort, Gohan took his charge at the twins, but they suddenly vanished, only to reform like one terrifying force, throwing the hero like a ragdoll all over the city. While he tried to escape, the son of Goku no longer had the power to defend himself. He was at their mercy. After the game of human ping pong got boring, Seventeen ended the throw down by kicking him straight in the midsection, and then hurling a sonic boom from his light speed fist at the same spot. All that Gohan felt was the wind knocked out of him and the agony deep within, and the rain drops slapping all over his battered body, at least until he stopped from his free fall abruptly against the shattered pavement. Ironically, he laid down close to where the city hall once stood. On his back, he felt his legs broken, and most of his ribs got shattered. Completely defenseless, he struggled to move an inch, watching his vision turn blurry as they towered above him. Laughing, they were thrilled at their victim who squirmed in pain down below.

"It's lights out for you Gohan. Enjoy the afterlife, as your people cry and mourn for their fallen angel!" Seventeen's face turned maniacal, while he saw the same sinister look on the blonde artificial human. They were tired of waiting, sending down a rainstorm of blasts, all going for Gohan.

"AHHHHHHH!" Gohan helplessly screamed, feeling the pain, the terrible agonizing pain. Being swallowed by the flames, the hurt slowly drifted away, as his body gradually became numb, and darkness devoured his eye sight. After he could no longer see or feel, his hearing went silent, as his thoughts uttered these last words.

'Trunks, it's up all up to you now. I'm sorry that I won't be there to see you wipe them out.'

The androids ended their fire, finally shutting off that golden light. They've pummeled out every inch of his life. Celebrating over his death, they shouted for joy and then moved on to the next city, searching for Trunks, but he was already long gone, hiding in the shadows, training vigorously to continue the fight his master left off. Losing the will to live, the golden angel breathed his last…

Gohan, was dead…

Blackness took over, as his spirit departed from his body, hearing the sound of Goku flowing through him saying, "This isn't the end of you my son, but only the beginning. Come find me on King Kai's planet." He echoed.

"Dad?" as he asked himself, a new world opened their doors to him. "Where am I? Is this…"

He stood on a gray path that traveled forever into the horizon, shaped like a serpent. It coiled on for miles. In the distance, yellow clouds filled the air below the road and beyond. Standing in line, he waited along with the vast crowd of spirits who were being judged, one soul at a time. Up ahead to the left was the check in station. "Oh wow, is this the otherworld dad was talking about?" he asked out loud, only to hear angry ghosts behind him.

"Hey! Hurry up, you're holding up the line." One of the spirits of a cranky old man shouted at him.

"Oops, sorry hehehe!" following the large amounts of souls, he eventually eased his way towards the large building where King Yamma stood to judge every entity that once lived, just as Goku talked about during his first adventure in the afterlife. 'I was sure that I heard dad say that I need to meet him on King Kai's planet. Maybe Yamma can show me the way. That means I get to see dad again, and mom and everyone else.' Then he lost control of himself, going crazy screaming out. "Alright, I can't wait to see everybody again!"

"SHUT UP AND KEEP MOVING!" screamed out a bunch of souls, along with the guys under the king's command leading the line to the station.

It seemed that Gohan's death ended on a better note after all. What surprises wait for him in the afterlife? And will he finally be reunited with all his loved ones? Find out on the next exciting chapter of Dragon Ball Z!


End file.
